• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Classy Baker
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipe Index
    • About
    • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes

    Espresso Caramel Muffins

    Published: Nov 9, 2021 · Modified: Nov 9, 2021 by Lara ·

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    These Espresso Caramel Muffins are super moist, perfectly tender, and contain no eggs. Loaded with crunchy walnuts and finished with a homemade streusel topping, these muffins are full of flavor!

    Espresso and caramel are an amazing flavor pairing. And at our house, every flavor combination calls for a bakery-style muffin recipe. These eggless muffins are full of caramel flavor with a hint of espresso. They also contain crushed walnuts for an added crunch and a simple homemade streusel topping for the ultimate muffin!

    These no-fuss eggless caramel muffins require no special techniques, basic pantry ingredients, and around 20 minutes of baking. They rise beautifully and are super moist thanks to the addition of Greek yogurt and a few tips and tricks. These caramel espresso muffins are great for making ahead - and stay fresh for up to 5 days.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients and Variations
    • How to Make Eggless Espresso Caramel Walnut Muffins
    • How to Make Bakery-Style Muffins
    • FAQs
    • Other Muffin Recipes You'll Love
    • Espresso Caramel Muffins

    Ingredients and Variations

    Here are the main ingredients needed for these Eggless Espresso Caramel Muffins:

    Caramel - I made these muffins using ready-to-use store-bought canned caramel sauce. This is easily accessible and simple to use. If this is not available for you, you could also use homemade caramel.

    Espresso - You'll need a shot of espresso (you only need to use 3 tbsp.). This is enough to provide a hint of espresso flavor. If you prefer a stronger taste, feel free to add 1-2 tsp. of ground espresso or regular coffee granules to the batter.

    Walnuts - These are optional but are a delicious addition to the caramel and espresso flavors. You can also use coarsely crushed pecan nuts.

    Flour - Cake flour is my go-to option for muffins. If this is not available, feel free to use AP flour. Make sure to measure ingredients using digital kitchen scales for accuracy.

    Greek Yogurt - The secret to soft and fluffy, bakery-style muffins. Use low-fat, plain Greek yogurt. If Greek yogurt is not available, you can use any other low-fat plain yogurt alternative, including Skyr.

    You will also need: vegetable oil (use neutral-flavored oil, such as canola oil), salt (leave out if using salted caramel sauce), baking powder, milk (semi-skimmed, whole, or plant-based), and granulated sugar (you only need a small amount since the caramel is already super sweet and contains lots of sugar).

    For the streusel topping, you will need: melted butter (unsalted), brown sugar, granulated sugar, and flour (AP is fine).

    How to Make Eggless Espresso Caramel Walnut Muffins

    1. Preheat your oven to 220°C (428F) and line a muffin pan with muffin/silicone liners.
    2. Stir in 1 tbsp. of espresso in the caramel sauce. TIP: If the sauce is too thick, heat it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
    3. Sift and mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) and set them aside.
    4. In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a handheld mixer), mix oil and sugar until combined. Add 2 tbsp. of espresso and Greek Yogurt and mix for another minute.
    5. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with milk, and mix until just combined (you can add these in 2 additions). Do not overmix.
    6. Fold in crushed walnuts/pecans (if using), using a spatula. Then, fold in around ⅔ of the caramel-espresso mixture.
    7. To assemble the muffins, place around 1 tbsp. of batter into each muffin liner. Then, add around 1 tsp. of remaining caramel, and top with another tablespoon or so of batter (or until muffin liner is filled all the way to the top for a large muffin or ¾ full for a smaller muffin). If you want, you can use a chopstick or wooden skewer to "swirl" each muffin in a figure-of-8 motion. Repeat for the remaining muffin batter.
    8. Sprinkle each muffin with 1-2 tsp. of streusel topping. To make the streusel, melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in brown and granulated sugar. Add flour slowly, stirring continuously until a crumbly mixture forms.
    9. Bake muffins for 7-8 minutes at 220°C (428F), then lower the oven temperature to 175°C (350F) without opening the oven and bake for a further 8-12 minutes until muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
    10. Allow to cool, and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

    How to Make Bakery-Style Muffins

    • Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing will result in gluten formation leading to a dense muffin sponge.
    • Fill muffin liners all the way to the top! I like to pour 80-100 grams of muffin batter for each muffin.
    • Bake at high heat 220°C (428F) for a few minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 175°C (350F) without opening the oven and bake until done. The high initial temperature helps muffins to rise rapidly, giving that bakery-style high-rise.
    • Cool muffins on a cooling rack. Do not leave them in the muffin pan for too long (not more than 10 minutes) as steam will cause them to become soggy and they may collapse.

    FAQs

    How Long do these Muffins Keep For? Can They Be Made Ahead?

    You can store these chai muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
    You can also freeze these muffins for up to 2 months. Before serving, bring out the muffins from the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature for 5-8 hours or warm them in a microwave for 2-3 minutes.

    You can also prepare the batter up to one day ahead and refrigerate overnight before baking.

    Why Are My Muffins Falling Apart?

    Make sure to weigh your ingredients using digital kitchen scales for accuracy.
    Allow the muffins to cool for at least 5 minutes in the muffin pan before transferring to a wire rack. If you move the muffins whilst still hot, they may fall apart.
    Results for this recipe highly depend on using the right amount of ingredients and may vary depending on different oven models, temperatures, and amount of batter used for each muffin.

    Other Muffin Recipes You'll Love

    Eggless Chai Muffins

    Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins

    Blueberry Earl Grey Muffins

    Espresso Caramel Muffins

    These Espresso Caramel Muffins are super moist, perfectly tender, and contain no eggs. Loaded with crunchy walnuts and finished with a homemade streusel topping, these muffins are full of flavor!
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 8
    Calories 364 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 250 g cake flour (2 cups)
    • 2½ tsp. baking powder
    • ¼ tsp. salt
    • 60 mL vegetable oil (¼ cup)
    • 50 g granulated sugar (¼ cup)
    • 3 tbsp. espresso freshly brewed (divided into 2 + 1 tbsp.)
    • 180 g plain, low-fat Greek yogurt or any other low-fat yogurt (¾ cup)
    • 80 mL milk semi-skimmed, whole, or plant based (¼ cup + 1 tbsp.)
    • 140 g caramel store-bought, such as Carnation (approx. ½ cup)
    • 80 g walnuts coarsely crushed (optional) (approx. ½ cup)

    Streusel Topping

    • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter melted
    • 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
    • 1 tbsp. brown sugar
    • 2-4 tbsp. AP flour

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 220°C (428F) and line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
    • Place caramel in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in 1 tbsp. espresso until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, heat in a microwave for 10-15 seconds.
    • Sift and mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) and set aside.
    • Place oil and sugar in a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a hand-held electric mixer) and mix until combined.
    • Add 2 tbsp. espresso and greek yogurt and mix for 1-2 minutes.
    • Add dry ingredients, alternating with milk, in two additions and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
    • Fold in walnuts using a spatula. Fold in around ⅔ of the caramel-espresso mixture.
    • To assemble the muffins, Place 1 tbsp. of batter at the bottom of each muffin liner. Add 1 tsp. of remaining caramel mixture, and top with another tablespoon of muffin batter. Use a chopstick or wooden skewer to swirl each muffin in a "figure-of-8" motion. Repeat for the remaining batter.
    • Sprinkle 1-2 tsp. of streusel topping on each muffin.
      To make the streusel topping: melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in brown and granulated sugar. Add flour slowly, stirring continuously until a crumbly mixture forms.
    • Bake muffins for 7-8 minutes at 220°C (428F), then lower the oven temperature to 175°C (350F) without opening the oven and bake for a further 8-12 minutes until muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
    • Allow to cool for 5 minutes in muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 364kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 10gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 309mgPotassium: 332mgFiber: 2gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 126IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 182mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword caramel, espresso, muffins, walnuts
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    « White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
    Cinnamon Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    I'm so happy you're here! At The Classy Baker you will find sweet and savory baking recipes inspired by Mediterranean and Asian ingredients and influences.

    To learn more, click here →

    Newest Recipes

    • Almond Butter Banana Bread
    • Oatmilk Honey Latte
    • Peach Oolong Tea
    • Blueberry Matcha Latte

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    info

    • about
    • contact
    • privacy

    recipe index

    • baking
    • mediterranean
    • under 30-min
    • vegan

    Copyright © 2021 The Classy Baker

    6 shares