• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Helen
    • About Helen
    • Contact
    • Press
  • Virtual Baking Classes
  • My Books
    • Baking as a Business
    • The New Pastry Cook
  • Recipe List
  • Baking Information
    • Baking Information Index
  • Follow Helen
  • Subscribe

Pastries Like a Pro logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About Helen
  • Father's Day
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About Helen
    • Father's Day
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home > Muffins

    Published: Jun 28, 2018 · Modified: Feb 20, 2025 by Helen S Fletcher · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Crumb Topped Orange Date Muffins

    Crumb Topped Orange Date Muffins

    Crumbed Topped Orange Date Muffins are a quick, easy treat for anytime of the day but in particular the morning with a cup of coffee or tea.

    Basically,  the dry ingredients are mixed in one bowl and the wet in another.  The two are combined and the dates are added.  Divided among mini cupcake pans, regular or Texas muffin pans, these are even better kept in a tin overnight.  Perfect for that morning treat.

    I thought it might be time for a simple treat and these Crumb Topped Orange Date Muffins fit that description to a tee.

    how to bake better custard
    Baking gets better when you subscribe

    Baking gets better when you subscribe to receive this PDF on getting the most out of baking including information on equipment, ingredients and baking equipment.

    Originally used 1 cup of dates but felt afterward that 1 ½ cups would be better which is why you see 1 cup in the photo.  Also, it is important to use the Medjool dates and not the precut ones in a package.  I have never found those to taste much like dates.

    So, without further adieu - Crumb Topped Orange Date Muffins.

    Crumb Topping - go here for how to photos using the ingredients below.
    ½ cup butter, softened (114 grams, 4 ounces or 1 stick)
    ⅓ cup granulated sugar (65 grams or about 2 ¼ ounces)
    ⅓ cup packed brown sugar (65 grams or about 2 ¼ ounces)
    1 ½ cups cake flour (Not self-rising) (185 grams or 13 ½ ounces)
    ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    ¼ teaspoon salt

    Combine the butter and both sugars in the bowl of a mixer.  Cream until very light.

    Mix together the cake flour, cinnamon and salt.  Add all at once and beat on medium until it starts to form crumbs. Scrape the bowl well and beat again.  As it starts to form small crumbs, increase the speed somewhat and continue beating until larger crumbs form.  Do not overbeat or it will become a thick cohesive mixture.

    Store in the refrigerator while making the muffins.

    Ingredients for Crumb Topped Orange Date Muffins

    Orange Date Muffins1 ½ cups cut Medjool dates (225 grams or  8 ounces)
    2 ½ cups cake flour (310 grams or about 10 ¾ ounces)
    ¾ cup sugar (150 grams or 5 ¼ ounces)
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    ½ teaspoon baking soda
    ¼ teaspoon salt
    3 eggs
    ¾ cup butter (170 grams, 1 ½ sticks or 12 tablespoons)
    ⅔ cup buttermilk
    2 tablespoons orange zest
    2 teaspoons vanilla

    Powdered sugar as needed.

    Preheat the oven to 350°.  Spray whatever muffin pans you are using.  The recipe makes about 24 regular muffins, 12 Texas muffin cups or about 40 mini muffins.

    Seeded date for Crumb Topped Orange Date Muffins
    Whole and cut date for Crumbed Topped Orange Date Muffin
    Scissors in flour bowl for Crumb Topped Orange Date Muffins
    Floured scissors for Crumb Topped Orange Date Muffins
    Floured dates for Crumb Toped Orange Date Muffins

    Cut the dates in half and remove the seed. Cut the date into 4 lengthwise pieces.  The easiest way to cut the dates for me is with scissors.  I open them and coat them with flour by simply sticking them in the measured flour. When the scissors get sticky again, flour them again.  Stir a couple of tablespoons of flour from the measured flour into the dates and mix well.   This will help keep them from sinking to the bottom.

    Dry ingredients whisked for Crumb Topped Orange Date Muffins

    In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

    Wet ingredients mixed for the Crumb Topped Orange Date Muffins

    In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs.  Add the butter, buttermilk, orange zest and vanilla, mixing well.

    Wet ingredients added to dry for Crumbed Topped Orange Muffins

    Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix gently with a rubber spatula.  Do not overmix. Some lumps are fine.

    Batter finished for Crumb Topped Orange DAte Muffins

    Stir in the dates.

    Fill the Texas Muffin cups about ½ full with the batter.  Top with ⅓ cup crumb mixture, pressing down lightly. Fill the regular muffin cups about ½ full.  Top with a heaping soup spoon of crumbs, pressing them down lightly.  The mini pans should be filled about half full. Top with crumbs to about the top of the pan.

    Bake the mini pans 12 to 14 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

    The regular muffins should bake about 15 to 16 minutes.

    The Texas muffins bake 18 to 19 minutes.

    Cool completely and dust heavily with powdered sugar.

    Crumbed Topped Orange Muffins in a basket

    The muffins will keep well for several days in an airtight tin.  They can also be frozen without the powdered sugar for several months.  Thaw at room temperature and dust heavily with powdered sugar.

    Several other muffins worth consideration include: Basic Muffin Mix, PBJ Muffins, Best of All Strawberry Muffins and the Double Chocolate Truffled Muffins. And if you a lover of anything orange, check out my Orange Pistacho Loaf Cake.

    Print Friendly, PDF & Email

    More Muffins

    • A single Apple Muffin covered with a crunchy sugar topping.
      Crunchy Topped Apple Muffin Recipe
    • This photo shows an open cranberry vanilla muffin sitting on top of more muffins.
      Cranberry Muffins Recipe
    • Pumpkin Muffins on a cooling rack with a blue and yellow cloth and yellow smiley face tea cup,,
      Really Easy Pumpkin Muffins
    • A cut open Double Chocolate Truffled Muffin sits on a plate with a teacup next to it and more muffins in the background.
      Double Chocolate Truffled Muffins

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Denise Hammons says

      June 28, 2018 at 2:43 pm

      These look delicious. Could they also be made following your Master Muffin recipe?

      Reply
      • hfletcher says

        June 28, 2018 at 4:15 pm

        Hi Denise, I have a quick bread that can be changed around but not a master muffin recipe. I cannot speak to that. Sorry to be of no help, but you can certainly try adding orange zest and dates to what you are referencing.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Helen! Being a self-taught baker and owning a bakery for over 25 years, I found many ways to make baking more successful and less intimidating. Even busy people can bake as in many cases, recipes can be done over days. The goal is to make your baking life easier, more enjoyable, with great outcomes on a consistent basis.

    More about me →

    Subscribe to receive our free ebook

    SUBSCRIBE

    Celebrating Father's Day

    • A slice of Boston Cream Pie on a plate with cups of tea in the background,
      Boston Cream Pie - A Parts Cake
    • A meringue topped coconut cream pie in a glass pie pan with plates and forks beside it.
      Coconut Cream Pie with a Difference
    • Four finishes on the Carrot Cake Dougnuts are plain, pecan topped, sugared and filled with cream cheese.
      Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts
    • Unbelievable Cheesecake
      Unbelievable Cheesecake Update!
    • Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake
      Blueberry Crumb Coffeecake
    • Turtle Cake
      Gluten Free Turtle Cake with Salted Caramel

    Popular Recipes

    • This Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cake features a pineapple slice with a cherry in the middle on top of a yellow cake sitting on a blue and white plate.
      Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
    • A plate of Cuccidati, fig and nut filled Italian Cookies sprinkled with multi-colored nonpariels.
      Cuccidati - Italy's Finest Cookie
    • This picture shows a slice of the coffee cake on a white, lace edged plate on a marble counter.
      Apricot Crumb Coffee Cake
    • Langue de Chat cookies in a bowl.
      Langue de Chat
    • Angel food Cake
      Perfectly Easy Angel Food Cake
    • Large nut pieces for Chopping Nuts
      Chopping Nuts - A Quicker Way

    Available Now

    Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, as well as other sites and in book stores.
    AUTOGRAPHED COPIES ARE AVAILABLE
    Click here to purchase an autographed copy.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Helen
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Press
    • FAQ
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Flickr
    • Instagram

    COPYRIGHT © 2025 PASTRIES LIKE A PRO