I adapted this recipe from the Orange Date Muffin recipe from the The Joy of Baking website. I made a few changes to fit the ingredients I had at home. For example, instead of using 1 cup of whole wheat flour, I just added another cup of all purpose flour. (Though I do wish we had whole wheat flour on hand) I also used muscovado sugar instead of regular brown sugar and substituted buttermilk for a mixture of milk and vinegar. Plus, I did not add any nuts. But the biggest change I made was using raisins instead of dates.
The result was amazing. My family polished off the muffins in record time. The best part was that the scent of oranges and freshly baked muffins just seemed to waft around the house. Super delicious. Next time, I plan on following the recipe exactly as it was written, but for now, I'm glad I made some substitutions.
Orange Raisin Muffins
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup muscovado sugar (sifted)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2/3 cup milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoon butter, melted
2/3 cup raisins
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and orange zest. In another bowl, whisk together the milk and the vinegar mixture. Add the orange juice, vanilla extract, egg and melted butter to this and whisk until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and stir until just combined. Fold in the raisins. Remember not to over mix.
Pour the batter into 12 muffin cups. Bake in a preheated oven at 200C (400F) for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean. Serve warm, not hot.
