Clementine Cranberry Muffins
Oh my darling clementine! One of the things I love about the holidays are the clementines. I buy them by the crate and they become part of breakfast, an afternoon snack, and even dessert. Like little orange globes of sunshine, clementines brighten up the dreary winter evenings.
Wonderful on their own, they are also great in so many ways. I've started using them muddled in mixed drinks, tossed into a spinach salad with a bit of goat cheese, or baked into muffins and cakes.
These muffins require some planning ahead. They're not the kind of muffins you can wake up Saturday morning and throw together, but they're worth the effort. Start by boiling five clementines. In a medium sized saucepan, cover the clementines with water and boil for at least one hour, checking the water level periodically and adding more as needed. Drain the clementines and cool.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place clementines, peel and all, in a food processor and puree. This sounds crazy, but the hour of boiling has softened the rind and removed the bitterness. What is left behind is an intense clementine flavor.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and eggs. Add vanilla and clementine puree and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients one third at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in cranberries. When fully combined, divide batter into prepared muffin tins. An ice cream scoop works great for this purpose.
Bake muffins for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
These muffins have a great balance between sweet and tart with the fresh cranberries. They are great on their own but could be served with a simple powdered sugar and orange juice glaze or spread with a bit of honey butter.
Recipe
Clementine Cranberry Muffins
By Land of Noms, December 19, 2014
Sweet and tart, these muffins are a great addition to a holiday brunch!
clementine, cranberry, muffings, baking
- 5 clemetines
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups of sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 cup of fresh cranberries
Directions
- Place clementines in a large pot and cover with water, boil for 1 hour, checking water level periodically, drain and set aside and cool
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees
- Place cooled clementines, peel and all, in a food processor and puree
- Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs
- Add vanilla and clementine puree, mix well
- In a seperate bowl, combine dry ingredients
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients 1/3 at a time, mixing well after each addition
- Stir in cranberries
- Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin tin; approximately 12 muffins
- Bake 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
Kitchen tools for this recipe:
Sharing our culinary adventures in Cascadia with simple, sustainable & satisfying eats. Bon Appétit!
