Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 teaspoons orange zest (approx. yield from 1 orange)
- 1 cup chopped orange segments (approx. yield from 2 oranges)
- 1/2 cup orange juice (approx. yield from 1 1/2 oranges)
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla paste
- Coarse crystal sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400℉. Lightly coat a 12-cup (or two 6’s!) muffin pan with cooking spray, oil (I love using my Evo oil sprayer for this!), or butter.
- Prep the oranges first. Start by zesting until you have 2 teaspoons, then slice away the peel from the fruit and use a paring knife to remove and chop the orange segments, removing any seeds as you do. Try to avoid as much of the white pith and membranes as you can, as these parts of the fruit have bitter flavors. Finally, squeeze the juice from any remnants if possible, otherwise slice into a new orange to get the ½ cup of juice you need. Set aside all of your orange ingredients for later.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk the wet ingredients: eggs, olive oil, granulated sugar, and vanilla paste in a second mixing bowl.
- Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, then add the orange juice and zest (hold off on the orange pieces for a moment). Fold the wet and dry ingredients together until loosely combined. The batter will seem a bit stiff here and that’s perfect because the orange pieces are going to bring the rest of the moisture we need!
- Add the chopped oranges to the bowl and gently fold them into the batter, bringing the whole thing together. Try not to overmix here; it’s okay if a few lumps remain. You’ll see the batter start to do some fizzy bubble action as you stir; that means the acidity and baking soda are reacting to create lift which will give your muffins their fluffy texture.
- Divide the muffin batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling them pretty full to the top. I like to try to make sure there’s a visible bit or two of orange at the top of each muffin!
- Sprinkle muffins with coarse sugar as desired.
- Transfer to the oven, immediately reduce the heat to 375℉ and bake for 18-20 minutes until cooked through and golden brown around the edges. Cool the muffins in the pan for 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Or better yet, enjoy while still warm!
Notes
- When prepping the oranges, take care to avoid the pith (the spongy white part of the rind) and the membranes (the thin white layers in between the orange segments) as these are the parts of the fruit that contain bitter flavor compounds.
- To zest an orange: gently run the orange down the length of your zester once, then roll your orange it to a fresh spot and repeat.
- To segment an orange: first use a paring knife to slice the rind off in thick strips and reveal the bright orange flesh underneath, leaving you with what I call a naked orange! Now, hold the naked orange in your non-dominant hand, and use the paring knife in your other hand to slice out one triangular orange segment from in between two of the membrane dividers. Repeat until you have sliced out all of the flesh, then squeeze the leftover core & membrane pieces over a bowl to extract the juice.
- Once baked, don’t let the muffins sit in the muffin pan for more than a couple of minutes. Steam is created as they sit, which can cause sticking and make them harder to remove later.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 257
- Sugar: 19.2 g
- Sodium: 166.9 mg
- Fat: 10.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 38.3 g
- Protein: 3.7 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg