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.
Little Nutella-stuffed apricot friands (gluten free)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 cups almond meal sometimes called almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder gluten free if necessary
- 2 eggs lightly whisked
- 2 1/2 ounces dried apricots chopped into small pieces
- 15 teaspoons chocolate spread 1 for each little friand
- a little icing sugar for sprinkling at the end optional
Instructions
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Pre-heat the oven to 325F/170C and lightly grease a mini muffin pan
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Melt the coconut oil and the honey together in a small pan. Put the mixture aside to cool a little.
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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.
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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.
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Bake for about 12 minutes or until the muffins are a light golden colour on the top. Try not to overbake!
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Leave the friands to cool then, if you like, sprinkle them with icing sugar.
Recipe Notes
These ‘healthy’ friands were most delicious eaten the day they were baked, but they will keep pretty well for a few days after that in an air-tight container.
You could replace the dried apricots will another dried fruit such as cranberries or even raisins if you like.
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Melanie @ Carmel Moments says
28 Jun 14 at 2:24 pmI’ve never heard of or tried friands but they look delish! Nutella in this oomphs the yummy factor.
Have a great weekend!
Helen says
29 Jun 14 at 3:37 amThanks, 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! 🙂
Laura @ Raise Your Garden says
28 Jun 14 at 2:50 pmHi 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!
Helen says
29 Jun 14 at 3:36 amHa! 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! 🙂
Mary Frances says
28 Jun 14 at 4:05 pmThat 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!
Helen says
29 Jun 14 at 3:25 amHappy 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! 😉
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
28 Jun 14 at 4:56 pmYum, I love all the flavors here, especially the apricot and Nutella 🙂 So unique and delicious!
Helen says
29 Jun 14 at 3:22 amThank you, Medha! I enjoyed making these (well, they have chocolate in the middle, after all!) 🙂
[email protected] TheGastronomicBong says
28 Jun 14 at 5:54 pmWow. the little muffins are too cute for words.. love the flavours.. i have never used coconut oil before… Will definitely try this 😀
Helen says
29 Jun 14 at 3:21 amSo 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.
Allison says
28 Jun 14 at 11:21 pmI’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!
Helen says
29 Jun 14 at 3:20 amHaha … 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! 🙂
Consuelo - Honey & Figs says
29 Jun 14 at 1:55 amI 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
Helen says
29 Jun 14 at 3:16 amThanks so much, Consuelo, and I hope you’re having a good weekend, too! Great idea to make up for lost Nutella time now! 😉
[email protected] says
29 Jun 14 at 4:41 amI 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!
Helen says
29 Jun 14 at 2:16 pmThanks so much, Christin. I hope your Sunday’s going well, too. 🙂
whatjessicabakednext says
29 Jun 14 at 12:05 pmThese 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! 🙂
Helen says
29 Jun 14 at 2:15 pmThanks, Jessica! Oooh … nutella ice cream! They do great nutella crepes over there, too, so don’t miss those. 🙂
whatjessicabakednext says
29 Jun 14 at 7:02 pmGreat! Will definitely look for nutella crepes- they sound heavenly! 🙂
Helen says
30 Jun 14 at 11:24 amYou can find them pretty much everywhere from what I remember … there are plenty of street stalls that do fantastic ones!
Joanne says
29 Jun 14 at 2:46 pmMy 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!
Helen says
29 Jun 14 at 5:24 pmHmmm … it’s a tricky one. I certainly haven’t figured out the magic formula. 🙂
Chris @ Shared Appetite says
29 Jun 14 at 3:02 pmThese 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!
Helen says
29 Jun 14 at 5:23 pmWell, 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!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
29 Jun 14 at 5:23 pmWow they’re so simple and with just a few ingredients! 😀
Helen says
29 Jun 14 at 5:25 pmSure are! 🙂
Chrissy says
29 Jun 14 at 5:28 pmAHHH. 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!
Helen says
30 Jun 14 at 11:27 amBrilliant! 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.
Jessica @ Jessiker Bakes says
29 Jun 14 at 5:37 pmThese friands look delicious! I’m so on the nutella train!
Helen says
30 Jun 14 at 11:26 amThanks, Jessica! Me too! 🙂
cheri says
29 Jun 14 at 6:52 pmHi 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!
Helen says
30 Jun 14 at 11:26 amWell, 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!
Zainab says
29 Jun 14 at 7:35 pmHaha 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.
Helen says
30 Jun 14 at 11:22 amAhhh … 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! 🙂
Eva says
29 Jun 14 at 9:12 pmIls 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 !
Helen says
30 Jun 14 at 11:20 amJe 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! 🙂
Norma | Allspice and Nutmeg says
29 Jun 14 at 9:41 pmThese look scrumptious, Helen. I love that they are guilt-free yet they have a special surprise inside. Yum!
Helen says
30 Jun 14 at 11:18 amThanks, Norma! I really am beginning to wish I’d called these ‘Nutella apricot surprise friands’ or something similar! 🙂
Louisa [Living Lou] says
29 Jun 14 at 11:37 pmOh 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!
Helen says
30 Jun 14 at 11:18 amHi, 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!
Aimee / WallflowerGirl.co.uk says
30 Jun 14 at 1:44 amWow, this is so my kind of recipe Helen! Love that it’s flourless and the nutella centres are just drool-worthy…
Helen says
30 Jun 14 at 11:16 amHehe … 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.
Lilli @ Sugar and Cinnamon says
30 Jun 14 at 3:15 amYou 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!
Helen says
30 Jun 14 at 11:15 amOooh, I know those nutella-stuffed crepes in France well! They are perfect street food on a freezing cold winter day. 🙂
Ashley says
30 Jun 14 at 4:25 amOhhhh 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!
Helen says
30 Jun 14 at 11:14 amI 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!
Samina | The Cupcake Confession says
30 Jun 14 at 6:49 amhahaha 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
Helen says
30 Jun 14 at 11:12 amIt’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!
Shashi @ runninsrilankan says
30 Jun 14 at 3:57 pmThanks 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.
Helen says
01 Jul 14 at 11:05 amAw, you’re welcome! Well, you introduce me to new things all the time so I’m glad to be able to return the favour. 🙂
Annie @Maebells says
30 Jun 14 at 8:16 pmYumm!! I think apricots are a very under used fruit! I rarely see them used, but they are delicious! This is such a good idea!
Helen says
01 Jul 14 at 11:04 amTotally agreed. Thanks, Annie!
marcie says
30 Jun 14 at 8:38 pmIt’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. 🙂
Helen says
01 Jul 14 at 11:04 amGlad 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. 😉
lori @TheHealthMinded.com says
01 Jul 14 at 3:26 amBrilliant 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!
Helen says
01 Jul 14 at 11:03 amAw, thanks, Lori! I take all that as a huge compliment! Thanks for pinning, too 🙂
Liz says
01 Jul 14 at 4:31 amI adore apricots…so your friands look MOST tempting!!!
Helen says
01 Jul 14 at 11:02 amGlad to hear it, Liz! 🙂
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
01 Jul 14 at 6:09 amWhat 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!
Helen says
01 Jul 14 at 11:01 amThanks, Gayle. You’re right about dried apricots. I don’t see them used that often, but they’re lovely.
Jessica @ Sweet Menu says
01 Jul 14 at 6:43 amI just love nutella, this recipe is right up my alley!
Helen says
01 Jul 14 at 11:01 amGlad you like it, Jessica! 🙂
Olivia - Primavera Kitchen says
01 Jul 14 at 6:53 pmOMG… This is genius!! I am drooling, Helen!!!
Helen says
02 Jul 14 at 11:44 amThanks, Olivia. Happy to have impressed you!
Alessandra // the foodie teen says
01 Jul 14 at 11:09 pmAll I have to say: YUM YUM YUM! I love friands!
Helen says
02 Jul 14 at 11:44 amThanks, Alessandra! And thanks for visiting the blog. 🙂
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
02 Jul 14 at 9:36 amI think I would eat all of these in one go! They look perfect 🙂
Helen says
02 Jul 14 at 11:43 amThank you, Tandy! I certainly ate quite a few in one sitting! 🙂
Melanie @ Bon Appét'Eat says
02 Jul 14 at 7:31 pmOMG, this looks like heaven in a bite! I would take this for dessert please!
Helen says
03 Jul 14 at 2:45 amHaha … thanks, Melanie! 🙂
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says
03 Jul 14 at 1:49 pmI am desperate to make friands after eating them in South Africa. One of these days H. One of these days.
Helen says
03 Jul 14 at 4:43 pmWell, 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! 😉
Isadora @ she likes food says
05 Jul 14 at 6:47 amI 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!
Helen says
05 Jul 14 at 9:14 amWell, 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!