Fresh Orange Muffins

Oranges, they are such a joy to behold. It’s like sunshine packaged in a fruit. I love oranges in any form, though I am a bit partial to the easy-peel, sweet varieties. I love how Boy gets orange breath after eating sweet clementines for a snack. Or how they make my fingers smell when I peel them for him.

I love baking with oranges too. I love using them in a sponge cake and then soaking the cake in a light syrupy glaze. When I have extra time, I also love using them in this pound cake recipe. It’s richer and heavier, but oh-so worth it. I’ve made both these cakes again and again and have had many of my readers try them too with excellent results. So do try them, if you are looking for a lovely orange cake recipe.

If you do not have the time or inclination to bake a large cake, the quickest way to use oranges in baking would be to bake muffins. Muffins are a one-bowl deal and these orange muffins are “da-bomb”. Use orange varieties currently in season, though I would advise you to use something sweet like Valencia oranges or clementines, if available.

We have freshly squeezed orange juice and fresh orange zest mixed in the light and airy muffin batter. It is so delicious, I cannot even begin to describe it.

I based the following recipe on Damn Delicious blog’s recipe for sour cream orange muffins. But I felt the  original recipe needed some lightening up. So I decided to replace the sour cream with low-fat Greek yogurt and the butter with oil.

Usually, I do such substitutions because I may not have all the ingredients on hand. But this time, I had everything in my pantry, including sour cream. Still, I felt sour cream was too heavy for muffins. And you know what, everything worked out for the best and I baked the most amazing orange muffins.

These muffins are good as such, but a light orange glaze on top will make them even more delicious.

FRESH ORANGE MUFFINS {WITH A ZESTY ORANGE GLAZE}

You will need:

For Fresh Orange Muffins,

• All-purpose flour – 1 3/4 cups
• Sugar – 2/3 cup
• Baking powder – 1 tbsp
• Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 1/2 cup (or melted butter)
• Greek yogurt – 1 cup (or use regular thick yogurt or even sour cream)
• Egg – 1, large
• Orange juice – 1/4 cup, freshly squeezed
• Orange zest – 1-2 tbsp (as much as you can get from the oranges you use)

For Zesty Orange Glaze,

• Powdered sugar – 1 1/2 cups
• Orange juice – 1/4 cup, freshly squeezed
• Orange zest – 1-2 tsp

How to:

• Fresh Orange Muffins: Pre-heat the oven to 400 deg.F and line a cupcake or muffin pan with liners. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, lightly whisk all the dry ingredients together.
• In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, mix the oil, yogurt, egg, orange juice and zest.
• Add this to the dry ingredients and mix together till just combined. Do not over-mix. Batter will be thick and spongy.
• Divide the batter equally between the 12 cupcake liners and gently tap the pan on the counter-top to settle the batter.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes or till muffins pass the toothpick test. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove muffins on to a wire rack and cool completely.
• Zesty Orange Glaze: In a bowl, whisk the glaze ingredients till sugar is completely dissolved and you get a thick, but pouring consistency. Adjust consistency to your liking by adding more sugar or orange juice.
• While muffins are still  a bit warm. pour this glaze over them or dip the muffin tops into the glaze. Allow glaze to set fully before serving.

Being the big orange cake fans that we are, I think this simple orange muffins recipe just might be our new favorite.

Tell me, do you love baking with citrus fruits? Which is your favorite recipe? Do share.

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