Easy stollen muffins filled with marzipan, dried fruit, almonds, and Christmas spices!
All of the festive flavours of traditional stollen in a light and fluffy muffin! Perfect for Christmas bake sales, parties, and buffets. You might also like my easy Christmas fairy cakes.
We love muffins, and these stollen muffins are one of our favourite festive bakes!
They're quick and easy to make, freeze well, and best of all, they taste just like Christmas!
👩🍳 Love muffins? Try my easy Christmas cake muffins next!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Easy Christmas bake.
- Quicker to make than traditional stollen.
- Freezer-friendly.
- Moist and soft texture.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Sugar - I like to use golden caster sugar but you could also use light brown sugar.
Flour - plain white flour.
Ground Almonds - ensures the muffins are moist.
Bicarbonate of Soda - the raising agent.
Mixed Spice - or swap for ground cinnamon.
Yogurt - plain natural yogurt or substitute for creme fraiche.
Butter - unsalted butter that has been melted and cooled.
Eggs - 2 large eggs at room temperature.
Almond Extract - for extra almond flavour. Swap for vanilla extract if you prefer.
Marzipan - diced into small chunks.
Mixed Dried Fruit - I used a combination of dried cranberries and raisins. Sultanas and mixed peel could also be used.
Flaked Almonds - for a nutty crunch.
Icing Sugar - to dust over the muffins.
Cinnamon - added flavour for the topping.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Place the dry ingredients (golden caster sugar, plain flour, ground almonds, bicarbonate of soda, and mixed spice) into a large mixing bowl.
Two: Whisk together the wet ingredients (yogurt, cooled melted butter, eggs, and almond extract) in a jug and then gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Be careful not to overmix!
Three: Fold in the dried fruit, diced marzipan, and flaked almonds until just combined.
Four: Spoon into 12 muffin cases and bake for 16-18 minutes until golden brown and risen. Cool on a wire rack and then dust with the icing sugar and ground cinnamon.
💭 Expert tips
- Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature before starting the recipe. The melted butter needs to be allowed to cool before adding it to the wet ingredients.
- Try not to over-mix the muffin batter. Over-mixing will result in tough, chewy muffins. Gently fold in the ingredients, and don't worry if the batter is still a bit lumpy!
- For a high domed muffin, preheat the oven to 20 degrees ABOVE the specified temperature in the recipe card. As soon as you put the muffins in the oven, turn it back down. The high heat will help the raising agent to start working.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the stollen muffins at festive buffets with air fryer sausage rolls, Christmas tiffin, and Christmas star biscuits.
The muffins also make an easy dessert served warm with creamy custard or brandy butter!
📖 Variations
- Mix in a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
- Add chocolate chips or replace some of the flour with cocoa powder.
- Use a brandy-soaked mincemeat for a richer flavour.
- Drizzle the muffins with a simple white icing made with icing sugar and water.
- Decorate the tops with nuts and glace cherries.
🥡 Storage
Store: Once cooled, place the muffins in an airtight container or cake tin. They will keep for up to 3 days. Muffins are best eaten on the day they are made though.
Freeze: The stollen muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Traditional German stollen is a fruit bread including nuts, spices, marzipan, and dried or candied fruit, coated in icing sugar. Stollen is sometimes referred to as ChristStollen, Weihnachtsstollen or Winterbrot.
Mixed spice is a blend of several spices including cinnamon, coriander, caraway, nutmeg, ground ginger, and cloves. It's a popular spice used in British baking recipes.
Make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature before using them, particularly the eggs. Then, make sure your raising agent is evenly distributed through the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients. It's also important to allow the melted butter to cool slightly before adding it to the other wet ingredients.
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Recipe
Easy Stollen Muffins
Ingredients
- 140 g Golden Caster Sugar
- 180 g Plain Flour
- 30 g Ground Almonds
- 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
- 1 teaspoon Mixed Spice
- 100 ml Plain Yogurt
- 140 g Butter melted and cooled
- 2 Eggs large
- ½ teaspoon Almond Extract
- 100 g Mixed Dried Fruit
- 100 g Marzipan diced into small chunks
- 25 g Flaked Almonds
- 1 tablespoon Icing Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (170 fan/ Gas 5/ 375F) and line a 12 hole muffin tin with 12 muffin cases.
- Place the dry ingredients (golden caster sugar, plain flour, ground almonds, bicarbonate of soda, and mixed spice) into a large mixing bowl.140 g Golden Caster Sugar, 180 g Plain Flour, 30 g Ground Almonds, 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda, 1 teaspoon Mixed Spice
- Whisk together the wet ingredients (yogurt, cooled melted butter, eggs, and almond extract) in a jug and then gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Be careful not to overmix!100 ml Plain Yogurt, 140 g Butter, 2 Eggs, ½ teaspoon Almond Extract
- Fold in the dried fruit, diced marzipan, and flaked almonds until just combined.100 g Mixed Dried Fruit, 100 g Marzipan, 25 g Flaked Almonds
- Spoon into 12 muffin cases and bake for 16-18 minutes until golden brown and risen. Cool on a wire rack and then dust with the icing sugar and ground cinnamon.1 tablespoon Icing Sugar, ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
Notes
- Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature before starting the recipe. The melted butter needs to be allowed to cool before adding it to the wet ingredients.
- Try not to over-mix the muffin batter. Over-mixing will result in tough, chewy muffins. Gently fold in the ingredients, and don't worry if the batter is still a bit lumpy!
- For a high domed muffin, preheat the oven to 20 degrees ABOVE the specified temperature in the recipe card. As soon as you put the muffins in the oven, turn it back down. The high heat will help the raising agent to start working.
- Mix in a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
- Add chocolate chips or replace some of the flour with cocoa powder.
- Use a brandy-soaked mincemeat for a richer flavour.
- Drizzle the muffins with a simple white icing made with icing sugar and water.
- Decorate the tops with nuts and glace cherries.
Katherine
I adore stollen, but in muffin form? Yes please!! What a wonderful mashup.
Stephanie
My grandmother was from Sweden, and for years my mom made Stollen, but it is more of a braided bread. My mom unfortunately had to go into a nursing home this year, so I'm the one continuing the tradition from my Swedish heritage. Making it into muffins is a great way to put a different spin on it!
Savita
These turned out so amazing. Soft and delicious at the same time.
Toni
Everyone at my house loved these muffins!! Thanks for the recipe!
Gina Abernathy
Great tasting muffins. So easy, moist, and perfect for breakfast-or dessert.