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Many years ago, I did a couple of weeks of voluntary work in southern Spain and stayed with a team leader in her home. Every morning, we popped down to the local bakery for fresh bread for breakfast (yum), and it wasn’t long before the group of us staying there discovered our host’s big jar of Nutella and began smearing it onto our bread in far too large quantities. Before long, the Nutella was all gone and we hastily and guiltily ran to the shops to replace it … and then gobbled up that jar as well. Until then I’m not sure I’d ever really thought to eat chocolate spread with bread. The few times I’d had it at home in England I’d just eaten it right off the spoon.
Another place where Nutella seems to be pretty popular is France, where I once spent a year teaching English to school children. Yes, in the land of champagne, foie gras and truffles, it’s also perfectly acceptable to eat humble hazelnut chocolate spread smeared thickly onto a piece of freshly baked bread or stuffed into a warm buttery croissant.
So if it’s okay for the mostly healthy Spanish and French to put chocolate spread on and in baked things, then surely it’s okay for me to do the same. Besides, I took another tip from the French for these little Nutella-stuffed apricot friands of mine.
I made them small!
Let me explain. Apparently, part of the reason that the French are able to eat fatty cheeses and rich pastries and pretty much what they like without getting unhealthy or overweight is pretty simple – they just eat less. Well, plus a few other little tricks. They’ll have a piece of chocolate or a tiny little macaron or a balanced meal but not piled up high on a plate.
If anyone is interested in finding out more about how the French eat really well without depriving themselves and yet stay ‘magically’ healthy (I for one certainly am!) then apparently this is a pretty good read: French Women Don’t Get Fat
Oh, and if you would like to read more about all the lovely things that you can eat without feeling guilty, it seems, ‘en France’, the lovely Erin from The Law Student’s Wife is over there right now posting about all sorts of delicacies that will make you want to drop what you’re doing and get yourself booked onto a flight to Paris tout de suite.
Meanwhile, back to these cute little friands. Obviously you’ve figured out by now that there is Nutella in this recipe I’m about to share with you today. And no, this is not a sponsored post for Mr. Nutella (although I think it should be, don’t you?) Other than this slightly naughty sweet stuffing, though, there is absolutely nothing bad in these mini muffins. Honestly, nothing bad at all. Nada. Rien.
‘So what is in them?’ I hear you wondering. Well, apart from a teaspoon of baking powder and a splodge of Nutella, just five ingredients, that’s what. Just almond meal, coconut oil, honey, eggs and dried apricots.
As they are so tiny, maybe it hardly matters that they are so healthy, but as they are, well … bonus! It just means that you can eat two or three at a time if you like, although in my humble opinion the size is just about right as the almond meal makes them seem a little richer than a regular muffin (I used a pan a little like this one
Just to tie up this post, I thought I’d share this little morsel of info that I found. There was a fairly recent ‘scandal’ at Colombia University, New York, in which students gobbled up $2,500 worth of Nutella in a week! Apparently this quickly dropped to $450 a week, but, erm, hello? Obviously this beats mine and my team mates’ gobbling up of our host’s choccy spread in Spain all those years ago in a pretty big way!
Anyway, enough of all this free promotion for Nutella. Obviously I highly recommend you having a go at these little mini friands. Just make sure you aren’t too light-handed with the nutella in the middle. It won’t matter if it oozes out of the cake a little – they’ll just be all the more delicious, I’d say.
Serves: makes around 15
- 1 ounce/30 grams coconut oil
- about 1½ tablespoons honey
- 1½ cups/150 grams almond meal (sometimes called almond flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free if necessary)
- 2 eggs, lightly whisked
- about 2½ ounces/70 grams dried apricots, chopped into small pieces
- chocolate spread (about 15 teaspoons, 1 for each little friand)
- a little icing sugar for sprinkling at the end (optional)
- Pre-heat the oven to 325F/170C and lightly grease a mini muffin pan
- Melt the coconut oil and the honey together in a small pan. Put the mixture aside to cool a little.
- Put the almond meal into a large bowl with the baking powder, then mix in the coconut oil/honey mixture and the eggs. Stir in the apricots.
- Put about a teaspoon of mixture into the bottom of each hole in the muffin tin, then spoon a small teaspoon of chocolate spread in the centre. Then spoon in more almond mixture so that it covers the chocolate and the muffin holes are almost full of mixture.
- Bake for about 12 minutes or until the muffins are a light golden colour on the top. Try not to overbake!
- Leave the friands to cool then, if you like, sprinkle them with icing sugar.
You could replace the dried apricots will another dried fruit such as cranberries or even raisins if you like.
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I’ve never heard of or tried friands but they look delish! Nutella in this oomphs the yummy factor.
Have a great weekend!
Thanks, Melanie, and you have a great weekend, too. I’d heard of friands but only ever tried the traditional ones with lots of sugar in. I thought I’d try a healthier version out and it worked! 🙂
Hi Helen!
Your friands looks lovely and so pretty sitting on that octagon white dish. You know, I”ve never had Nutella before, but my dad eats it by the jar! (Sounds very unlike the French women).
The key for me will be popping only one of these bad boys (ok, maybe 2) with a cup of tea not the whole batch! Love the oozing center in the middle, a bit of a surprise I think!
Ha! Yes, maybe I should have called these Apricot Nutella Surprise! Laura, I reckon you can happily and guiltlessly have 2 or even 3 of these in one go. The only sugar in them is in the Nutella, after all. Hope you’re having a great weekend! 🙂
That is a great title – definitely caught my attention! 🙂 You’re right, the French never seem to deprive themselves, but they do it in moderate ways. That is something my mom has always taught us; dessert isn’t bad – too much dessert is. These little muffins are so cute and healthy enough that I can have that second one! 😉 The apricot is a unique addition that I really, really like, and stuffing it with nutella? Love it. Pinning these! Happy weekend Helen!
Happy weekend to you too, lovely little Mary Frances! Once again, I am wishing that I knew your mom because she sounds like a very wise lady. Definitely have that second muffin – or, go on, even three would be fine! 😉
Yum, I love all the flavors here, especially the apricot and Nutella 🙂 So unique and delicious!
Thank you, Medha! I enjoyed making these (well, they have chocolate in the middle, after all!) 🙂
Wow. the little muffins are too cute for words.. love the flavours.. i have never used coconut oil before… Will definitely try this 😀
So glad you like them, Arpita. Thank you! I’ve only just started using coconut oil, actually. It’s a little expensive, but it does go a long way.
I’ve read that book! It was pretty good. Except the part where the author promoted veuve clicquot throughout the book because she is the CEO or something. Not that I don’t like veuve, but I can’t afford to drink that on a weekly basis!
I LOVE nutella. My favourite thing about european hotels is those little packages of nutella they have instead of peanut butter. These friands are simple, cute, and filled with chocolate! Yum! And I just learned what a friand was. Cool!
Haha … there was another book I nearly linked to called The French Paradox but I thought I’d better not because there weren’t many reviews and one of them was awful.
I’ve just ‘rediscovered’ Nutella in a way and have started putting it in my morning oatmeal. Probably not the best habit to get into! Glad you like these little friands and that you learnt something today, Allison! 🙂
I never ate too much Nutella while growing up (which is a pity since nutella is liiiifeeee), but I try my best to make up for the lost years now 😉 These lovely friands look adorable, and I love how they’re healthy too! Such a perfect snack!
Hope you’re having a great weekend! xx
Thanks so much, Consuelo, and I hope you’re having a good weekend, too! Great idea to make up for lost Nutella time now! 😉
I have never tried friands before but they sound wonderful and I love the combination of Nutella and Dried apricots. Hope you are enjoying your weekend!
Thanks so much, Christin. I hope your Sunday’s going well, too. 🙂
These friands look amazing! I’m probably one the world’s biggest Nutella fans- I eat it on anything! I’m sure when I go to Italy in a few weeks, I’ll definitely eat too much Nutella ice cream! Can’t wait to try these, Helen! 🙂
Thanks, Jessica! Oooh … nutella ice cream! They do great nutella crepes over there, too, so don’t miss those. 🙂
Great! Will definitely look for nutella crepes- they sound heavenly! 🙂
You can find them pretty much everywhere from what I remember … there are plenty of street stalls that do fantastic ones!
My question is how to NOT eat a jar of nutella in one sitting. I’m still pretty unclear on how that works. 😛
Love these little friands!
Hmmm … it’s a tricky one. I certainly haven’t figured out the magic formula. 🙂
These friands look spectacular Helen! Love how they are studded with dried apricots and stuffed with Nutella. Hahaha, and yes, this should totally be a sponsored post. C’mon Nutella people, hook Helen up!
Well, maybe one day they will pay me retrospectively … haha! Somehow I don’t think so!
So happy you like the friands. I snacked on them guiltlessly all week long!
Wow they’re so simple and with just a few ingredients! 😀
Sure are! 🙂
AHHH. I read this post too late! I’m hosting brunch in an hour and don’t have apricots or nutella but I SO want to make these! Definitely a keeper…I WILL try these soon!
Brilliant! Do let me know what you think. I reckon you could substitute the apricots for something else, but you couldn’t really leave out the nutella. They wouldn’t be sweet enough.
These friands look delicious! I’m so on the nutella train!
Thanks, Jessica! Me too! 🙂
Hi Helen, love little bites of treats, this way you can always have just one more….your life sounds so interesting seems you have traveled just about everywhere. Great post!
Well, I don’t know about that! I’ve just lived in France and Spain for a short time, Greece for a long time and now Australia. Oh, and I grew up in the UK of course. I suppose when you put it like that it does seem like a lot of places! I am starting to wish that I could just settle down in one place though, now. And then travel from there just for holidays! Ha … I must be getting old! So glad you like the friands – they are great little snacks!
Haha Nutella is just so addictive. I make sure to have a jar always on hand. I love these small cute friands. They truly are packed with deliciousness.
Ahhh … that’s a great life tip if ever I read one – always have a jar of nutella on hand! I like it! So glad you like the friands! 🙂
Ils ont l’air tellement bons !! Tout le monde aime Nutella ! Même si il y a pleins de gens qui ne le reconnais pas ! J’ai fait madeleines avec Nutella est tout le monde sont adoré! Nutella c’est l’ami de tout le monde !
Je suis tout a fait d’accord, Eva! J’adore ca: tout le monde aime Nutella, meme s’il ya pleins de gens qui ne le reconnais pas. Haha! J’adore les madeleines aussi et eux ils seraient tres bons avec nutella dedans! J’ai mange beaucoup de madeleines en Espagne … mmmmm! 🙂
These look scrumptious, Helen. I love that they are guilt-free yet they have a special surprise inside. Yum!
Thanks, Norma! I really am beginning to wish I’d called these ‘Nutella apricot surprise friands’ or something similar! 🙂
Oh these just look delicious, Helen! I love how simple they are. Do you think you could substitute something else for the coconut oil? I never have any!
Hi, Lou! I think you could very happily make these with another kind of oil such as a mild-tasting olive oil, or even melted butter (apparently butter is ‘healthy’ again now … haha!) I haven’t tried it, but I bet it would work. Let me know if you have a go!
Wow, this is so my kind of recipe Helen! Love that it’s flourless and the nutella centres are just drool-worthy…
Hehe … yeah, I finally got on the super healthy band-wagon! I was surprised by how tasty these were for something so healthy, but I couldn’t resist ‘ruining’ it with the nutella.
You had me at “nutella stuffed” 🙂 I got so addicted to nutella crepes in France I had one a day for 2 weeks! Nutella in muffin form sounds pretty amazing as well though!
Oooh, I know those nutella-stuffed crepes in France well! They are perfect street food on a freezing cold winter day. 🙂
Ohhhh nutella! haha I can’t buy it because I cannot be trusted around it! It’s been a few months since I’ve bought a jar : )
These sound awesome – I mean stuffed with nutella? You just cannot go wrong!
I agree. I think stuffing pretty much anything with nutella would probably make it palatable! The jar I bought to make these cakes was the first jar I’d bought in ages and I think I’m doing pretty well because there is still about half left. Not too bad, hey!
hahaha I remember getting my first Nutella jar and it was over the next morning! That stuff can be addictive! These friands look DELISHHHHH Helen! <3 I have GOT TO READ that book because I just can't manage to keep my weight in check and I most certainly cannot give up on eating beautiful food! I need to make these friands stat! I'll add an extra tbsp of nutella, just for good measure!! hahaha
It’s definitely an attractive prospect, isn’t it, being able to eat what you like and still stay pretty healthy? The good old French! Glad you like the friands, Samina. Do have a go at making them – they’re great little healthy snacks!
Thanks so much for introducing me to “friands” – I had never heard of them before. These are too cute – love the almond meal/apricot/chocolate combo, Helen.
Aw, you’re welcome! Well, you introduce me to new things all the time so I’m glad to be able to return the favour. 🙂
Yumm!! I think apricots are a very under used fruit! I rarely see them used, but they are delicious! This is such a good idea!
Totally agreed. Thanks, Annie!
It’s so true about the French — they eat in moderation. I’ve heard about that book, but I haven’t read it yet. I should! As for Nutella, I first tried it only last year and that was me, eating it right out of the spoon. I enjoy it in recipes a lot, and these friends with apricot, no less, look so delicious, Helen! These are a must-try. 🙂
Glad you like these, Marcie. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I haven’t read that book yet, either. I just thought it fit in really well here. 😉
Brilliant recipe. Easy, few ingredients and all ones I love! I have a dessert I make with almond meal that is delicious as well. I do not see it used that often. Pinning to my Gluten-Free Pin board right now! Thanks!
Aw, thanks, Lori! I take all that as a huge compliment! Thanks for pinning, too 🙂
I adore apricots…so your friands look MOST tempting!!!
Glad to hear it, Liz! 🙂
What a great recipe, Helen! This little beauties looks delicious, especially with nutella! I love that you used apricots, definitely a fruit that flies under the radar!
Thanks, Gayle. You’re right about dried apricots. I don’t see them used that often, but they’re lovely.
I just love nutella, this recipe is right up my alley!
Glad you like it, Jessica! 🙂
OMG… This is genius!! I am drooling, Helen!!!
Thanks, Olivia. Happy to have impressed you!
All I have to say: YUM YUM YUM! I love friands!
Thanks, Alessandra! And thanks for visiting the blog. 🙂
I think I would eat all of these in one go! They look perfect 🙂
Thank you, Tandy! I certainly ate quite a few in one sitting! 🙂
OMG, this looks like heaven in a bite! I would take this for dessert please!
Haha … thanks, Melanie! 🙂
I am desperate to make friands after eating them in South Africa. One of these days H. One of these days.
Well, they’re really easy to make. Mine were definitely a ‘healthified’ version, which were nice, but I’d also like to try making the naughtier version some day! 😉
I didn’t discover nutella until my sister went to France for a year as a foreign exchange student and when she came backs he told me all about it! Needless to say, I’ve been obsessed with it ever since! I think I need to practice more French philosophies and start eating smaller portions, haha! Sometimes it is so hard to limit myself and I think if I made these amazing friands, I would probably eat the entire pan! The nutella and apricot combo sounds divine!
Well, what I didn’t tell you is that I did eat rather a lot of these all in one go. My ‘excuse’ was that the only ‘bad’ thing in them was nutella .. and let’s face it, that isn’t all that bad, either (it’s got hazelnuts in for goodness sake!) Glad you like them, Isadora!