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
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
- Preheat your oven to 220°C (428F) and line a muffin pan with muffin/silicone liners.
- 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.
- Sift and mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) and set them aside.
- 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.
- Add the dry ingredients, alternating with milk, and mix until just combined (you can add these in 2 additions). Do not overmix.
- Fold in crushed walnuts/pecans (if using), using a spatula. Then, fold in around ⅔ of the caramel-espresso mixture.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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, 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
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.
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
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.
Leave a Reply