Muffins are probably one of my favorite things.  I am sure that if I had been Maria Von Trapp, I would have been singing of muffins and not raindrops on roses.  I mean, how good does that taste?

But, I am not Maria (I was a puppet once in my high school production of The Sound of Music, but never Maria) so this blog will just have to be my way of singing the praises of muffins.  

I was feeling kind of muffin-y last week so I got out one of my cookbooks and searched through some recipes.  The orange cranberry muffins caught my eye.  I really like this sweet-tart combination so I thought I'd give it a try.  I found the muffins to be a bit on the dry side and had neither enough orange nor cranberry.  I figured I'd try to put my own spin on them and see if I could make some improvements.

The first thing I did was add more orange juice, orange zest, and cranberries.  I changed up the method a bit as well by rubbing the zest into the sugar until the sugar was orange and fragrant.  I also used dried cranberries and soaked them in the orange juice.  The original recipe called for a mixture of all-purpose flour and cake flour.  I increased the amount cake flour and decreased the all-purpose by a quarter cup each and added a bit more sugar and ground ginger.

The result was a fabulously moist muffin.  It is almost cake-like in texture.  It isn't overly sweet but you get a nice hint from the orange.  The texture of the cranberries make a nice contrast with the softness of the muffin and offers a bit of tartness.  The outside had just a touch of crunch, which I found really nice.  Ella told me they were pretty and delicious.  I do wish the muffins had a bit more orange flavor though.  I doubled the amount of zest and orange juice.  I think that adding more juice would be too much, so next time maybe I'll add even more zest.


If you like this orange cranberry combination, give this muffin a try.  I think you'll really like them.  What's not to like, after all?


Orange Cranberry Muffins


2 cups dried cranberries
1/2 cup orange juice (fresh is best)

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour (
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
10 tablespoons butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
Coarse sugar (raw sugar/turbinado or sanding sugar)


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 


In a glass mixing bowl, heat orange juice in the microwave for about a minute, until just hot to the touch.  Stir in the cranberries and let sit.  Stir occasionally.


In another bowl, whisk together both flours, ginger, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.


Put the sugar in the bowl of a mixer.  Add the orange zest and rub into the sugar until the sugar turns orange and smells really, really good.  Add the butter and cream together for a couple of minutes.  Once completely creamed together, add the vanilla until completely mixed in.  Add the eggs, one at a time, until completely mixed in.


Turn off mixer and add half of the flour mixture.  Turn the mixer on slow and add in the buttermilk.  Immediately add the rest of the flour and then the cranberry and juice.  


Lightly grease 15 muffin cups.  Divide the batter among those tins.  Bake for 15-17 minutes at 425 degrees or until a toothpick placed in the middle of the muffins come out clean.


Let cool for no more than 5 minutes.  Remove from pans to cool on a rack.

You have probably heard the old saying about potato chips.  "So good you can't eat just one."  Well, these muffins are so good I can't eat just one.  Heck, I'd love to eat the whole batch.

I've been making these for about eight years now.  I'm not sure where it came from but I know I found the recipe shortly after my oldest daughter was born.  I love these muffins.  They rank right up there with blueberry muffins.  They may even surpass blueberry.  They are soft and moist and chocolatey  with just a hint of cinnamon and pumpkin.  I love their rich orangeish color.  They speak to me of autumn and coming into a warm comforting kitchen after a walk in the cool, brisk air.  They are so good you can eat them with dinner and for dessert.  What more could you ask for in a muffin?  Seriously?

These muffins are so good that I'm not even going to say anything else about them.  You are just going to have to trust me and try them for yourself.  

What are you waiting for?  Go on...

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
15-ounce can pumpkin
1 1/2 vegetable oil
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease 24 muffins tins or line with muffin cups.  (I actually get a few more than 24 muffins -- about 28).

Beat eggs in a large bowl.  Mix in the sugar, pumpkin, and oil.

In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

Blend the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until must mixed.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  

Divide the batter among the muffin tins.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.  Remove muffins from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Note:  Occasionally I feel the need to make these muffins more healthy and will use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose.  This works pretty okay but the muffins won't be as moist.  I have found the best ratio is to used 1 cup whole wheat and 2 cups all-purpose.  You can also play around with less oil and sugar -- but the results just won't be the same.  Sometimes it's best just to leave well enough alone.  I think this is one of those times.  Remember...everything in moderation!

Awwww...Who am I kidding?