Is it just me or does anyone else get the post holiday baking slump? I know everyone vows to lose weight after the holiday's, but I even lose the desire to bake. After baking (and eating) all that rich holiday food, nothing much appeals to me in those weeks following Christmas. That may not be all bad considering how tight my pants felt after the holidays!
However when I came across this recipe for orange muffins I found myself pulling out the flour, sugar, butter...etc. Citrus and fruit, now that's just the combo that will get me back in the kitchen. These muffins are delicious! They are moist and slightly cake like, but without being heavy. The fresh orange juice and zest gives them a wonderful punch of citrus. Throw in any berries or cranberries you have on hand and you might find yourself getting back in the baking groove!
Orange Blueberry Muffins
source: Rebecca Rather The Pastry Queen
1 cup milk
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
zest of 1 orange
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries tossed in a bit of flour
Orange Glaze
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8 Texas-size (3 1/2 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep) muffin cups with butter or cooking spray. (*see note below) Whisk together the milk, orange juice, sour cream, eggs, and butter in a medium mixing bowl. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until the flour is incorporated. Gently fold the orange zest and blueberries into the batter.
Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, filling each cup just to the top. Bake the muffins for about 25 minutes, until they are golden brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the muffins in the pans for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack and glaze.
To make the glaze: combine all three ingredients in a medium bowl. Spread the mixture on top of each muffin. Serve warm or at room temp. (there amazing warm!)
Notes: Instead of making "Texas" size muffins, I made mine in a regular size muffin pan. I baked them about 16 minutes. Test them with a toothpick at 15 minutes.
