Cranberry Orange Muffins
By Eileen Goldfinger.
Preheat oven 425 degrees
Makes 12 medium sized muffins
Ingredients:
½ cup whole milk
1 ½ tsp fresh lemon juice
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp fine salt
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ¼ cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp zest of an orange
1 tsp real vanilla
¼ cup orange juice
1 ½ cups of fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen don’t defrost)
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Topping:
2-3 tablespoons of superfine sugar
Hints for great muffins:
Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with Pam spray. Set aside.
Place all ingredients in individual bowls before starting the process of making the muffins.
This makes it easier and faster to prepare the batter.
Don’t over mix the batter.
Mix cranberries with 1 tsp of flour. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin.
Preparing the batter:
Add lemon juice to milk, stir, and let it stand for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a medium bowl whisk together the milk/lemon juice, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, orange juice, vanilla and orange zest.
Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing just until mixture is combined and no flour is visible.
Fold in cranberries and nuts.
Divide the batter amongst the 12 muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with sugar.
Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375 degrees.
If using fresh cranberries continue baking for 15 minutes.
If using frozen cranberries continue baking for 20 minutes.
Bake until golden and a tester inserted into the muffin comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in tin.
Then remove from muffin pan and store in an air-tight container.
ELLA FITZGERALD AND HER FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
For an enhanced version, heat the muffins and top with butter. Then serve.