Hello, Secret Recipe Club! This month, my assigned blog was The Novice Housewife. If you’re wanting to learn about anything Indian food, Shumalia is the one to visit. Every Tuesday even, she has a new Indian specific post in her Garam Masala section- check it out! I’m bookmarking these recipes for the time I’m back to cooking regular dinners again. But for now, my kitchen time has been geared toward baking. Since I’m still at my parents’, it’s just easier that way So, Shumalia’s orange berry muffins caught my eye. It’s been quite some time since I’ve made muffins and I wanted something totally variant from my usual chocolate chip and something muffins I tend to end up with.
No joke, these muffins are the best muffins I’ve made yet! They were moist, super flavorful and just right in the sweetness arena. Using fresh orange juice and zest makes all the difference in the world. And the kitchen smelled full of fresh morning citrus. I have no need to ever look for another blueberry muffin recipe- this is where it’s at.
Orange Berry Muffins
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
About 3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
1 stick ( 8 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup frozen blueberries (not thawed)
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease pan with butter or spray. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet. Pour the orange juice into a large measuring cup or bowl and pour in enough buttermilk to make 1 cup. Whisk in the eggs, honey and melted butter.
In a large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of orange strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough- the batter will be lumpy and bubbly, and that’s just the way it should be. Measure out the blueberries in a small bowl, then throw just enough flour on them to lightly coat. Stir in the coated blueberries. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes. When fully baked, the tops of the muffins will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins will come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.