Blueberry Orange Muffins
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"Didn’t you post a blueberry muffin recipe before?" asked my hubby when he saw me editing the photos for this post. I replied "They are not the same, my dear. Both use different ingredients and different methods. I know it’s not the blueberry season now but I just can’t wait till the next season to share this recipe with my readers. Isn’t it your favourite?"
"Yes, in fact, it’s the best muffin you have baked so far. I love that tangy taste and smell most." He said with a grin.
This recipe, which originated from Annabel Karmel’s website, was highly recommended to me by my dearest friend Alice of Bit-Of-Taste. She had already tried and tested it herself, and the result was very satisfying. You can find her lovely blueberry muffins post in her blog.
On my first attempt at baking these muffins, I used lemon according to the original recipe. My hubby didn’t like the lemony taste at all. So I decided to swap lemon with orange on my second attempt. Unexpectedly, the outcome for this blueberry and orange combination turned out to be so delightful! This variation pleased not only my hubby’s palate but even my mother-in-law who was never really a big fan of muffins. Needless to say, my son had the biggest shares as he adored blueberry very much. The orange zest gave these muffins a hint of tangy and fruity smell whereas orange juice was full of natural sweetness. These muffins got their extra moisture from the blueberries and yogurt. They stayed soft and velvety even left overnight. It was such a joy to savour them.
As this recipe uses the mixing method (which no electrical mixer is required), it’s perfect for any beginners at baking. Recently, I choose this recipe to show a friend of mine on how to bake muffins. Being a working mom of two little gals, two and five respectively, she always thought that baking was very time-consuming. But, after seeing how I made these blueberry orange muffins, she was convinced that she could do it too. She also agreed that homemade muffins are indeed easy-to-bake, healthy, tasty and economical. A week later, she told me that she had bought an oven and was ready to jump on the home baking bandwagon. I was really happy to hear this.
These muffins are great for breakfast and tea break. Filled in a mini cup, they are good to pack for lunch box and easy to handle by your little ones.
You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries to make these muffins. For variation, you can try to experiment with other type of berries. Another possible option is to use dried fruits such as raisins. Bake some in advance and keep them in the freezer. Thaw and reheat them when you want to consume.
This recipe is also tried and tested by:
Recipe
Adapted and modified from Annabel Karmel
Yield: 7 mini muffins
Ingredients
Steps
- Pre-heat oven to 210°c. (see note 1).
- In a mixing bowl, sieve flour and baking powder. Add in sugar and salt and mix well. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the lighted beaten egg, oil, yogurt, vanilla extract, orange juice and zest until it is creamier. It will look a bit cuddled. Be careful not to overbeat the mixture.
- Add the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Use a spatula, combine the ingredients with fold in method until they are well combined and no traces of flour. Stir in blueberries and mix well. Do not over-mix the batter. The batter should be thick (“spoonable” not “pourable”).
- Transfer the batter into a piping bag (see note 2) and pipe batter into the muffin cups until each cup is 80% full.
- Bake at 190°c for 15-20 minutes.
Notes
- Start off the oven hot – This sets the top crust quickly which allows the batter underneath to stay liquid, build up pressure and eventually burst up like a volcano. It will yield a dome effect to the muffins. However, the baking time and oven temperatures vary depending on the types of oven, size of muffins, or whether you are using a paper cup or muffin tray to bake. So use your own judgment to experiment.
- You can create your own piping bag by using a clean square or rectangular plastic bag. Transfer the mixture into the bag, tighten the opening with a rubber band and cut a small corner for squeezing. You may need to cut a bigger hole so you can squeeze the blueberries out easily.
- For variation, try to experiment with other type of berries. Another possible option is to use fruits such as raisins and cranberries. It’s important to condition them before use. (Note: Conditioning dried fruits will help to prevent them from absorbing the moisture from the muffins. To do that, you need to put the dried fruits in a plastic bag, pour water inside the bag and immediately pour it out. Retaining a little bit of water inside. Leave the plastic bag overnight at room temperature. Pat dry any excess water before using).
- There is no need to defrost the frozen blueberries.