Easiest German Muffins

These German muffins are lightly sweet, with the addition of dried fruit and a hint of citrus.

You’ll love how easy it is to make these German muffins! Add raisins or your dried fruit of choice for a tasty treat.

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Learning about the origins of various recipes has always fascinated me.

The truth is, food has a way of transporting us to different times and places as it evokes memories. Aromas and flavors can remind us of people we love or places we’ve visited.

My husband and I both come from German heritage. He also grew up in Cincinnati, which has historically has been heavily influenced by German culture, as it became a center for German immigrants in the 1830s.

We’ve had the wonderful opportunity to visit Germany together during the Christmas season one year, where we were able to enjoy some of the traditional cuisine along with the holiday markets and sights.

These German muffins are the perfect holiday treat, whether you serve them as a breakfast or a sweet snack.

If you’re looking for a simple yet tasty German recipe, this is it!

More Delicious Sweet Treat Recipes:

• Golden Syrup Cake
• Swedish Dream Cookies
• Copycat Walker’s Scottish Shortbread
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
• Lotus Biscoff Muffins
• Chocolate Orange Cake
• Cranberry Orange Shortbread
• Stroopwafel Cake
• Strawberry Lemon Muffins
• Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins

What are German Muffins?

German muffins, which I’ve also seen referred to as “altdeutsche brotchen,” are typically less sweet than American muffins.

They make a delicious breakfast along with a mug of coffee or hot chocolate, or a delightful treat with a cup of hot tea in the afternoon.

Although there are many different varieties, they often include dried fruit, a citrus zest, and sometimes chopped nuts.

Sometimes, they’re made with ground almonds or almond flour, but I chose to stick with regular all-purpose flour, because I know many home kitchens in America don’t have almond flour or almond meal handy.

This recipe for German muffins is adapted from a recipe I found in a recipe book that belonged to my husband’s grandmother.

I prefer my muffins on the sweeter side, so I increased the sugar a bit.

The original recipe called for chopped dates, but I chose to use golden raisins instead. You could also use regular raisins, dried cranberries, or another dried fruit.

How to Make German Muffins

This muffin recipe is really easy to make! All you’ll need is a few pantry staples.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• All-purpose flour
• Sugar
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Milk
• Egg
• Orange juice
• Vegetable oil
• Orange zest
• Vanilla extract
• Raisins (or other dried fruit)

How to Make It:

Mix dry ingredients. First, you’ll whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Combine wet ingredients. Next, in a small mixing bowl, you’ll whisk together the milk, egg, orange juice, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.

Make the batter. Last, you’ll add the mixture of wet ingredients to the bowl containing the flour mixture, and add in the orange zest, stirring to combine.

Add dried fruit. Add in the raisins (or other dried fruit), stirring just until incorporated.

Bake. Pour batter among the wells of your muffin tins. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes and Adaptations:

• I love the light hint of citrus from the orange zest and juice. If you want a more pronounced citrus flavor, you can double the zest from the orange rind or add some orange extract!
• Change up the dried fruit if desired. You can also add some chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter if you’d like.
• For a fun variation, mix cinnamon into the batter–add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon, depending on how strong you want the flavor to be.
• These muffins can be made ahead of time and frozen. Simply cool completely, then wrap each individual muffin with plastic wrap. Wrapped muffins can be combined in a large zip-top bag or other freezer-safe container.
• Want to make a half batch? Get our tips for how to halve one egg.
• If you need a vegan version, you could use a flax egg (then serve it with some oat milk hot chocolate!).

Recommended Equipment:

• Mixing bowls
• Muffin pan