Place the chopped figs and orange zest into a food processor or small chopper and pulse until a thick paste forms – you can do this ahead if you wish, just put the mix into the fridge and give it time to come to room temperature before you use it.

When you’re ready to get baking, preheat the oven to 400 and spray a 12-cup muffin tin.  Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl and then use your electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Scrape down the bowl if needed, add in the eggs and then beat for a couple of minutes until the mix is fluffy.  Scrape in the fig paste and blend well, then stir in the yogurt.  Divide the batter perfectly among the 12 muffin cups and bake for about 17 minutes until golden brown and the centers are set and bounce back to a light touch.  Allow the muffins to rest in the tin for about 5 minutes before carefully removing them to a rack to cool completely.  These are amazing warm, spread generously with butter, but they also freeze beautifuly.