Tracy's Orange Muffins

I'm not a big muffin gal, or cupcakes for that matter, I don't often see the point.  HOWEVER, that being said, when I want a muffin and I want an ORANGE muffin then this is the go-to.  There's a leap of faith here with the whole orange in the food processor thing but, trust me, I haven't led you astray yet.  Try this, you're gonna love this.  Read through to be sure you have the ingredients and go for it...  I'm experimenting today with lemons, same method, I'll let you know! 

TRACY’S ORANGE MUFFINS

RECIPE AND METHOD: 

In a blender or food processor: 

1 orange (barely trim off the stem end if it is gnarly, and remove pips, cut into hunks)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup plain oil

Blitz like crazy till smoothish but a little chunky. 

Add 1 egg

Blitz again 

SIFT OVER all at once: 

1 1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt

                         *IF you don’t have self raising, then make your own, using all purpose flour and increase to 1 tsp baking powder and measure 1/2 tsp salt

MIX gently together

Divide into 12 (lined with paper OR sprayed) muffin tins,  IF your orange was massive you might have extra batter, just put in greased ramekin and bake along side, 

Bake. Preheated 355F or 180C? Oven for 20 minutes, middle rack

Make a glaze with 1 cup of confectioners sugar and enough orange juice to make a thick pourable glaze, and add a little cardamom if you have it. 

Glaze when they’re cool… EAT THEM

Here's the picture play by plays:

the WHOLE orange, sugar and oil, blitzed then I shot the egg down the tube, sifted the flour on top, whizzed it quickly then finished with a spatula, divide and bake

   

They dome beautifully, just 20 in the oven, extra batter divided in two greased ramekins, perfect mini cakes.

   

Truth, I dipped the tops in glaze, these are fine unglazed or use any icing you like, maybe cream cheese? mmm . or just a sprinkle of sugar would be nice a they bake

 

So, there's the muffins, go make them, they're crazy easy, moist and really really good, the pith doesn't make them bitter at all... try them, let me know what you think, 

/enjoy

Tracy

Orange Jam, or Ok, it's mostly marmalade

Orange Jam (marmalade to purists)

I don't like marmalade but I do like jam. There's a big discussion happening between my mother and I about what exactly constitutes a jam versus a marmalade. I like jam and so I made some. Some people will assume this is marmalade but it's mine, so it's jam.

ORANGE JAM A'LA ME!

I had exactly one orange, 3/4 cup of sugar, a lemon slice, a pinch of salt and some water so this is what I made because I wanted something for my currant scones that was more than butter and less than strawberry jam.

Zest the orange and put it in your Ninja blender! Add about 3/4 cup (more or less to taste) of sugar and whirrrr it around.
  


  
Peel the orange and cut the segments into the processor
  
Squeeze all that juice out!
  
Add a little water, whirr it around and pour it into a saucepan
  
BOIL like crazy until it's thick and jam like!  About 8-10 minutes.  *OOPS, add a squirt of fresh lemon
  
BOIL BOIL BOIL 

After a bit of boiling, when it looks thick, get your little glass ramekin (or little plate or bottom of a jar or a heatproof glass) and put a little of the molten orange liquid on the back of it.  

Pop it in the fridge for a minute and see if it's thick enough for you. 

  
When it's cooled down a bit, do the wrinkle test, push your thumb through it, if it wrinkles, it's jam!
  
Another test is that it leaves a trail when you pull a spatula through it, just briefly

Ok, pop it into two little jars, leave it to cool to room temperature, throw lids on and lookie lookie, you have orange jam... ok ok you really have marmalade but we've already discussed that.

 
I think is the perfect amount to make at a time...
 

Ok, off you go and make some jam, make some marmalade.  Coat your toast and bread and scones and baked goods in your own, homemade, yummy fruity goodness, all natural, no pectin and totally completely yummy! 

Enjoy! 

/Tracy