This muffin recipe was found in Marlene’s (Carrie’s mother) recipe book. It is unique in that it calls for a whole orange- peel, pith and all. With minor adjustments to make them a tad healthier (a reduction in sugar and an addition of rolled oats), this has become Carrie’s « go-to » muffin recipe.
A few tips to begin….
- Use large muffin tins to make this recipe so that each muffin becomes a meal in itself- perfect for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee on a cold winter morning.
- Consider buying organic oranges for this recipe since you will be eating the skin. In any case, be sure to wash the orange well before you start chopping.
Ingredients :
- 1 1/2 Cup milk (dairy, nut or soy are fine) or orange juice (or a combination of the two)
- 1 Cup large-flake rolled oats
- 1 whole orange, washed and cut into quarters, seeds removed
- 1 large egg, well beaten
- ½ Cup packed brown sugar (or less, especially if you use orange juice)
- ½ Cup butter, melted
- ½ Cup chopped dates (use more if you love dates; also wonderful with blueberries and/or dried apricots)
- 2 Cups flour (works well with a mix of whole wheat and white flour)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ Teaspoon salt
Directions :
Set oven to 400F. Grease muffin tins well.
In a medium-sized bowl, pour the liquid (milk and/or orange juice) over the oats. Let soak for 15 minutes.
While the oats are soaking, process the orange quarters in a food processor or blender until well chopped.
Stir the chopped orange, the melted butter, brown sugar, beaten egg and dates (or other fruit) into the bowl with the soggy oats. Stir well to combine.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Finally, add the orange mixture to the large bowl of dry ingredients. Stir JUST until combined so that the muffins will be as light and airy as possible.
Carefully spoon the batter into the muffin tins.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or 30 minutes if using large muffin tins. (If in doubt, insert a wooden skewer into the centre of a muffin. If skewer comes out clean and batterless, muffins are done).
Cool muffins before putting them in the fridge or freezer.
A muffin fit for a queen, or a king of course!