Orange Cranberry Muffins

 
This recipe serves as a muffin or bread recipe, and it calls for a few fresh oranges, or today, it was clementines. Since I'm a huge fan of clementines, as is the rest of the clan here, as soon as they appear in markets, I buy about two bags of them a week. They disappear rather quickly - about three a day for each of us, but they can be stored in the fridge to last a while longer if you find you have too many.

I love valencia orange cake, but I don't always have the time to boil oranges for 2 hours - which is where this recipe comes in. It's not a substitute, but it has enough sweet citrus flavor to satisfy a bit of the craving.

Note: You can substitute another orange in this recipe. If it is larger than a clementine, adjust the amount of rind and orange to come close to the amount of clementine in the recipe. And if you're not excited about the idea of orange rind bits in your muffin, you can grate the rind and add it separately, or leave it out.

Ingredients (makes 8 muffins)

• 2 1/2 cups of blanched almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 3 tablespoons of melted butter
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries (or more)
• 2 clementines (or the equivalent amount of another orange)
• 1/2 cup of walnuts (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Remove the rind from one clementine, and leave the rind on the other one (do remove any stuff that is not edible on the orange - like the stub where the stem was). Process both clementines in a food processor, or blend until you have tiny bits of orange mush. Add it to a mixing bowl.
3. Add the remaining wet ingredients to the mixing bowl, and then add the dry ingredients.
4. Combine well and place the batter into cupcake liners or into a loaf pan if you're making bread.
5. Bake the muffins for 35 minutes, or until the tops are browned and a toothpick comes out clean. A loaf of bread will take about 10 minutes longer to bake (about 45 to 50 minutes).
6. Cool and enjoy! I store these in the frig and reheat them at 350 degrees F for about 7 minutes.

Comments

[Phyllis]

I purchased Bobs Red Mill almond flour before I found your website advising against baking with this type of almond flour/meal. Since you said it was OK to use for banana breads, I was wondering if that almond flour/meal would be OK to use in this cranberry orange muffin recipe. I am frustrated that I spent so much money on a product that can't be used for baking and now I don't know what to do with it. Hoping to use it up making muffins. Also, do you have an estimate on the amount of liquid that would be obtained from using the 2 clementines? My family prefers navel oranges and I was wondering if that would be a good substition, however they are much larger than clementines. thanks for your help Phyllis

[Erica]

Hi Phyllis - yes, the almond meal works well with muffins and breads, and the same measurements apply for both almond meal and almond flour. Regarding the clementines, I'd estimate that you get about 1/2 cup of orange juice from 2 clementines. Also, I might add the rind of the navel orange - just zest - I'm not sure how the rind of a navel orange would work out. But let us know if you try it. Hope that helps!

[Melinda]

Hello, I cannot use honey, agave nectar, sugar, etc. I use a product called Whey Low which is a low glycemic index sugar replacer. I am wondering about the honey content in your recipes. If I am substituting Whey Low (which measures exactly like sugar), how much would I use? In other words, this recipe for example calls for 1/2 c honey. How much "other sweetener" should I use?

[Erica]

Melinda, good question, but I'm not sure about Whey Low. I know that sugar to honey and agave is usually a one to one substitution, but I'm not sure about other sweeteners. Does the product label or company offer substitution measurements?

[Nicole]

All of you're muffins look amazing,they jump off the page! I cant wait to try them. I've only baked with almond flour once and it was in bread so ill have to get some for you're recipes! Do you think subbing canola oil for melted butter would work? Thanks :)

[Erica]

Yes, I do think oil is ok to sub for butter, but I can't remember if I have actually tried it. I have done it with cakes though.