The combination of sweet, dried fruit & tangy goat cheese appeals to many palettes, including ours! There is always a selection of dried fruit in our house and I keep a supply of goat cheese on hand, too. If I happen to run out of goat cheese, I head over to the local goat farm (about 3 miles away) and purchase more. Today’s recipe features figs & goat cheese.

Figs are thought to have first been cultivated in Egypt and their history can be traced back to the earliest of times with mentions in the Bible and other ancient writings. Figs popularity spread to ancient Crete, then onto ancient Greece, becoming a staple of the traditional diet there. The Greeks even created laws forbidding the export of the best quality figs. Figs were revered in ancient Rome where they were considered a sacred fruit. From there, figs were introduced to other regions of the Mediterranean by ancient conquerors and in turn, brought to the Western Hemisphere by the Spaniards in the early 16th century. 300 years later, Spanish missionaries planted our continent’s first fig trees in California. California continues to be one of the largest producers of figs along with Turkey, Greece, Portugal and Spain.

Goat’s milk has a similar history of being an ancient foodstuff. It has a similar fat content to cow’s milk, but with a higher proportion of the specific fatty acids that give it that characteristic tart flavor. Goat’s milk is better tolerated by humans than cow’s milk. Western civilization has popularized cow’s milk, but goat’s milk and the cheeses made from it, are the preferred dairy products in much of the rest of the world. Goat cheese has been made for thousands of years, and was quite probably one of the earliest made dairy products. Although it softens, goat cheese doesn’t melt when it is exposed to heat, making it the perfect cheese for baking!

Fig & Goat Cheese Muffins (adapted from eatingwell.com) 

Makes: 15 muffins  Active Time: 40 minutes  Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) crumbled goat cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg white
• 3/4 cup packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 cups (8 ounces) chopped, dried figs
• granulated sugar, for tops of muffins

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line 15 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with paper liners or coat them with cooking spray.

Thoroughly combine the goat cheese, honey, lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon of the vanilla in a small bowl. Set it aside.

Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs and the egg white. Add the brown sugar and the remaining teaspoon of vanilla to the eggs and whisk it all together until the sugar is dissolved.

Gradually whisk in the buttermilk and oil until the batter is smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Fold in the figs.

Spoon half the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Add a generous teaspoonful of the goat cheese filling in the center of each muffin.

Cover the cheese with the remaining batter, ensuring the filling is completely covered and not visible. Sprinkle the muffin tops with a bit of granulated sugar.

Bake the muffins until the edges start to brown and the tops spring back when gently pressed, about 13 to 15 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Individually wrap the muffins and store them at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze them for up to 1 month.

This is a satisfyingly delicious muffin!  ~Linda

Fig & Goat Cheese Muffins (adapted from eatingwell.com) 

Makes: 15 muffins  Active Time: 40 minutes  Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) crumbled goat cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg white
• 3/4 cup packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 cups (8 ounces) chopped dried figs
• granulated sugar, for tops of muffins

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line 15 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with paper liners or coat them with cooking spray.

Thoroughly combine the goat cheese, honey, lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon of the vanilla in a small bowl. Set it aside.

Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs and the egg white. Add the brown sugar and the remaining teaspoon of vanilla to the eggs and whisk it all together until the sugar is dissolved. Gradually whisk in the buttermilk and oil until the batter is smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the figs.

Spoon half the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Add a generous tablespoonful of the goat cheese filling in the center of each muffin. Cover the cheese with the remaining batter ensuring the filling is completely covered and not visible. Sprinkle the muffin tops with a bit of granulated sugar.

Bake the muffins until the edges start to brown and the tops spring back when gently pressed, about 13 to 15 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Individually wrap the muffins and store them at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze them for up to 1 month.