Recipe: Orange Muffins

Oranges have been on sale for super cheap lately, so I stocked up.  We have oranges filling the drawers in the fridge, oranges in a huge bowl on the counter, and yesterday my Mom gave us a big bag of oranges she bought for $1, so now we're officially overflowing with oranges.  In an attempt to use up a few of them, I made a double batch of orange muffins this morning and the kids declared them their new favorite kind of muffin (with French muffins coming in a close second).

NOTE:  If you like strong orange flavor, increase the amount of orange zest--if you want a more subtle orange flavor, omit the orange zest and only use the juice.  If you are squeezing fresh oranges, it takes 2-3 oranges to get the 1/2 cup of juice.  If you want to use up that gallon of orange juice, or if like me, you have oranges to use up, make a double batch of muffins and freeze half of them for quick weekday breakfasts.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 large eggs (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)
1 teaspoon vanilla
optional --1/4 cup coarse turbinado sugar (cane sugar) or granulated sugar
 

1. Preheat the oven to 375.  Put paper liners in a 12 ct. muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder and soda.  In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well.  Fill each prepared muffin cup with 1/3 cup batter and sprinkle with a pinch of cane sugar, if desired.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the centers are set and the edges just begin to turn golden.