Orange Poppy Muffins
Even though it's (finally!) technically spring, citrus season is still going strong. With the exception of apples, it will be another few months before I can get fresh fruit at the farmers market. And while I'm looking forward to days of berries and peaches, I've developed an intense fondness for Cara Cara oranges, and use them wherever I can.
From the outside, Cara Cara oranges look like a smaller version of their navel cousins, but inside is a different story. Cara Caras have a distinct bright pink flesh, while their flavor is sweeter and less acidic than other varieties. And, Cara Caras are seedless to boot. If you care to learn more, the good folks at the The Kitchn (one of my favorite sources for recipes) wrote a piece on these citrus gems, but suffice to say I'll gobble them up as long as I can find them.
Per usual, a few notes: using organic is especially important here, since you're eating the peel. And while I love Cara Caras, any orange variety will work here - you could even sub a small grapefruit. I used an unbleached, unenriched all-purpose flour, but this recipe also works well with whole wheat pastry flour. Likewise, you could sub Greek yogurt for the sour cream. And finally - about those maple crystals: they're my preferred baking sweetner since I can get them locally, and they can easily be swapped 1:1 for sugar. And, they impart a slightly smoky flavor, which I love. But they are expensive and can be hard to find, though I've seen them at Whole Foods. If maple crystals are unavailable to you, use an unbleached cane sugar.
Orange Poppy Muffins
Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Total time: 45 minutes + cooling time
Ingredients
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 cup sour cream
1 cup maple crystals
3 eggs
Zest from one medium Cara Cara orange
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup grapeseed (or other neutral non-GMO) oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° and line 12 large muffin cups with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds; set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together sour cream, maple sugar, eggs, orange zest, vanilla and grapeseed oil. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and fold gently until the batter is totally smooth.
Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each one 3/4 full. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before serving.
