Whole Orange Muffins…

Earlier this week I wanted a muffin, but I did not have blueberries or apples. However, after a quick glance in the fridge I decided to hit up the web in search of an orange muffin recipe since I had a plethora of them on hand. I came across a recipe from recipezaar that used a food processor and an entire orange including the pith. The addition of pith did not scare because I regularly make lemon and lime aide that includes the whole fruit. This drink is perfect for summer and I will be posting it in the very near future. The muffin recipe had pretty good reviews so I went with it and threw in some dried cranberries for color and texture.Since I am a perpetual batter taster, I scooped out a little taste and was not so impressed…it was not bitter like I had anticipated, it was just not all that tasty. I decided to bake them anyway thinking that maybe the baking process would change and develop the flavors…well, I was wrong! If you follow me on Twitter, you may remember a tweet regarding the smell of these suckers, because they just smelled odd while baking, although I could not put my figure on the scent. They did however, taste MUCH better at room temperature than they did warm, but these are definitely not something that will come out of my kitchen ever again. Although I have not painted such a pretty picture of these, you may love them and considering the reviews, many people have enjoyed these…just not me! If you give them a try, I would love to hear about your results!

If you are a mama, I wish you a happy and relaxing Mother’s Day!!!!

*I have gotten a few emails asking about my cupcake liners…most of the ones that I post are from Confectionery House…they are my favorite liners ever! Hint…If ya stop back tomorrow ya might just see these liners in my giveaway!

Orange Cranberry Muffins
Adapted from Recipezaar
35 min 15 min prep
Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients
1 orange, quartered and seeds removed (with peel and pith)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 large egg
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)
Coarse sugar for topping (optional)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 400F; spray a muffin tin (12) with non-stick cooking spray like Pam and set aside or line with muffin liners.
2. Put orange quarters in food processor (or blender) along with orange juice and process or blend until pureed.
3. Add egg and butter to food processor and combine; pour into large bowl and add dried cranberries.
4.Combine dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add all at once to orange mixture. Stir to combine.
5. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove from oven and let stand in tin for 5 minutes before removing muffins.