Golden Nugget Muffins (Small Batch)

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Spring has sprung and I'm lovin' it!

The temperature is moderate, the birds are singing, and there are butterflies everywhere!  Springtime has definitely come to Southern California!  We had such a raining winter season that it caused a superbloom here.  The flowers are popping, and all the trees are budded out.  We even found hidden bulbs in our backyard this year that produced daffodils we didn't even know we had!  And let me tell you about the butterflies!  Oh my gosh....we have soooooooooooo many butterflies it is amazing.  They claim that all the rain caused a super crop of monarch butterflies and they are just flying everywhere on their migration north.  Amazing and beautiful!

Golden Nugget Muffins (Small Batch)

All this great revival of life has made me so happy!  I'm also happy because of the produce that has popped up in the grocery store.  Yes! to springtime fruits!  Berries are in season as well as these beautiful golden nugget tangerines.  I found these gems a few years ago at out local farmer's market and have been eating them every year since.  I think they are the sweetest tangerines around.  They are in their peak season from March through May so grab them while you can.  

Since I bought a ton of these tangerines on my last trip to the grocery store I thought I would make some wonderful muffins featuring these beauties this weekend.  What's better for a Spring breakfast than some hot muffins bursting with the sweet bits of juicy tangerines.  Nothing!  At least for today!!!

What if I can't find Golden Nuggets?  If you can't find Golden Nuggets you can use any sweet tangerine that you like.  I highly suggest you look for these thought because they are shockingly delicious and you need them in your life!

What items do I need?  

• Mixing bowl - you will need a good mixing bowl to make the muffins.  I like porcelain or glass bowls.  This is one that I use as a mixing bowl as well as a salad serving bowl.
• Wooden spoons - perfect for mixing all your ingredients together.
• Paring knife - You will need a good small knife to cut the tangerine bits. I love this one.
• Muffin Pan - This recipe make 6 muffins and I use these pans the most.
• Orange Extract - I use Nielsen Massey Pure Orange Extract.  The flavor is outstanding!  If you want to use vanilla instead that will work in a pinch however, the orange flavor will not be as prominent.

This recipe makes a small batch of 6 muffins which is perfect for a weekend treat.  If you want to make 12 muffins, so you can eat them during the week, just double the recipe.  These will easily keep covered at room temperature for 3-4 days, and freeze wonderfully.

I use my base muffin recipe here that can be made into a gazillion different muffins.  It's a slightly sweeter muffin and with tender bits of tangerine running through them.  It's heaven!

Take time to enjoy the spring bounty of fruits and vegetables available right now starting with these muffins.

Enjoy!

Other Springtime Treats using Oranges/Tangerines:

• Tangerine Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry
• Orange Salad with Arugula and Spinach
• Simple Asian Salad
• Orange Iced Tea
• Blood Orange and Pear Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Golden Nugget Muffins (Small Batch)

serves 6

1 egg
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 Cup sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. Orange extract (such as Nielsen Massey)

1 t golden nugget zest

1 golden nugget, peeled and chopped into small bites

Place egg, milk and oil in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until light. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the citrus zest and orange extract. Stir just until moistened. Don’t overmix…batter should be lumpy and a little thick. Fold in chopped golden nugget bits.

Spray a non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide batter among 6 muffin cups filling most of the way full.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 min. Allow to cool 10 minutes.  Serve.


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Small Batch: Orange Pecan Sour Cream Muffins

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Make your weekend breakfast special by making a bakery style treat that's bursting with orange flavor and a bit of crunch from good ole southern pecans.

Last weekend MGG and I decided that we needed to get away for a bit and look at some different scenery. So off we went traveling up the coast for a little day trip. We ended up not far from home in the town of Ventura which is on the coast just north of us.

We spent some time in the quaint downtown playing tourist, which was so much fun.  We took a tour of the Ventura Mission which had a beautiful courtyard and garden which we relaxed in before touring the mission itself and learning of the history around the building of this mission.

After the mission we found a cute local bakery and decided to stop in for coffee and a muffin.  This is where I discovered their Orange Sour Cream Muffins that were so light and tender we instantly fell in love.  Being from a state that grows a LOT of citrus it was only natural to pick an orange muffin.  I knew then that I had to recreate this muffin at home.

This led to my version with a southern spin; Orange Pecan Sour Cream Muffins were born!  These bakery style muffins come out tender from the use of the sour cream.  The orange flavoring is a nod to living in California and I added some pecans for crunch that speak to my parent's Southern upbringing.  Combined together you get a muffin that is light yet homey.  A wonder combination that the whole family will love.

I must say that my version might be "a tad" better than that bakery in Ventura.  I've been making muffins my whole life and these are a new favorite.  I've made a small batch for you here which makes 6 muffins, because, who wants 12 muffins all the time?  A small batch is perfect to feed the family and have few left over.

Try something new this weekend with Orange Pecan Sour Cream Muffins.  Please come back after you make them cause I'd love to hear what you think!  

Enjoy!

Additional muffin recipes:

Bakery Style Banana Nut Muffins

Peaches and Cream Muffins

Simple Blueberry Muffins

Raspberry Sour Cream Muffins

Marshmallow Muffins

Orange Pecan Sour Cream Muffins

Makes 6

1 cup flour
1/2 Tbls baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar 
1 tsp cinnamon
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
3 Tbls canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla or orange extract
1/2 tsp orange zest
3 Tbls fresh orange juice
1/4 pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 6 cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper liners.

In a medium bowl add flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar, and cinnamon. Stir to combine. In another small bowl lightly beat egg. Add in sour cream, oil, extract, zest and orange juice. Beat slightly to mix. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until moistened. Do not over mix. Fold in pecans.

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

10 BEST Smoothies

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10 Seriously easy and mouthwatering smoothies that will keep you cool all summer long!

1.  Banana Cream Pie Smoothie - Tastes just like the Banana Cream Pie your momma made, with the same comfort feeling! {GET THE RECIPE}

2.  Cherry Berry Smoothie - A tart and creamy smoothie that mixes in-season cherries and berries for one outstanding and healthy drink.  {GET THE RECIPE}

3.  Peach Cobbler Smoothie - Light and creamy this drink is a taste of the South!  {GET THE RECIPE}

4.  Black and Blue Smoothie - A double delight with not one but two berries that will provide your with antioxidants and fill your tummy.  A great breakfast treat!  {GET THE RECIPE}

5.  Vanilla Kiwi Smoothie - A cool and light smoothie made with luscious kiwis and warming vanilla.  {GET THE RECIPE}

6.  Avila Orange Smoothie - Oh this is one of my favorite breakfast treats.  Made with Avila farms honey (use your favorite) and oranges.  AWESOME!  {GET THE RECIPE}

7.  Strawberry Banana Smoothie - Traditional flavors that are outstanding together and kids love them!  {GET THE RECIPE}

8.  Strawberry Pear Smoothie - Fresh pears blended with strawberries make for a light and bright drink that will keep you cool and delight your senses!  {GET THE RECIPE}

9.  Pineapple Mango Chia Smoothie - Tropical flavors of pineapples and mango blended with chia for a wonderfully healthy smoothie that will make you feel like your vacationing on a beach!  {GET THE RECIPE}

10.  Blackberry Pomegranate Smoothie - Sweet and tart go well together in this outrageously good smoothie.  Filling and quenching all in one treat!  {GET THE RECIPE}

Cinnamon Orange Baked French Toast Muffins

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I always seem to have bread which you could consider "day old" around. Do you?

Last night we had a wonderful steak dinner and I made garlic toast from French sandwich rolls.  They were the perfect accompaniment, but we didn't use them all, so today I had a lonely roll staring at me, saying "use me!"

So French toast came to mind.  But I wanted to try something I was inspired to try, muffin tin French toast.  Basically it is baked French toast, but in a muffin tin instead of a casserole dish.  The only thing I had to settle on was the flavor.  Being citrus season I decided to add the brightness of orange and the warmth of cinnamon since it's still a bit chilly in the mornings.

CINNAMON ORANGE BAKED FRENCH TOAST MUFFINS

The recipe is fast, easy, and tastes wonderful.    They are baked in the muffin tins, so there is no butter or oil (healthier).  Once you bake them in the tins, out comes these cute little things I'm calling French Toast Muffins.  They are perfect little gems.  Slightly crisp on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. 

Perfect for a weekend breakfast, or a brunch, plus the kids will love them!  The flavors of cinnamon and orange coming from the oven is enough to wake the whole family and have them come running.  When they taste them, they will be begging for more!  To keep the sugar count down I served them with a sugar-free syrup. 

With the presentation being so cute and the flavors so warm and comforting, these were definitely a hit and I'll sure you and your family will love these.  Bake up something good this weekend!

Enjoy!




Cinnamon Orange Baked French Toast Muffins

Serves - 8 cups

3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoons orange extract
1 loaf French sandwich roll, diced into 1-inch cubes
sugar-free syrup, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 wells of a muffin tin with cooking spray.  Set aside. 

In a large bowl, add the eggs, milk, sugars, cinnamon, and orange extract.  Whisk to combine. 

Add the bread cubes and coat evenly.  All bread to soak up the custard about 3 minutes.  Distribute the bread cubes evenly among the muffin wells lightly piling the cubes on top of each other.  Pour any remaining custard over the cubes.  I filled each one just to the top with bread. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown.  Custard should be set and the muffins should look dry.  Remove from the oven and allow to the tin for 5 minutes.  Remove each muffin with the help of a knife and serve with syrup.  

Benefits of Oranges

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There is still plenty of citrus in the markets, so before it goes away until next year I wanted to talk a little about Oranges.

Oranges are one of the greatest members of the citrus family.  Nutrients in oranges are plentiful and diverse. The fruit is low in calories, contains no saturated fats or cholesterol, but is rich in fiber.

Oranges, like other citrus fruits, are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and other antioxidants.  They also contain minerals like potassium and calcium.  Oranges are in season  from October to February/March, (depending on the variety) although I am still seeing these delicious beauties everywhere.  Some varieties of sweet oranges are Valencia, Navel, Persian variety, blood orange, and Cara Cara.

I'm IN LOVE with Cara Cara oranges right now!

Oranges can be kept at room temperature for a week or so. They will also stay fresh for a few weeks in the refrigerator.  

Celebrate the goodness of oranges while they are still around!  Here are some of my favorite orange recipes:




Orange Salad with Arugula and Spinach






Simple Asian Salad







Blood Orange and Pear Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette






California Salad

Orange Iced Tea

Pork Chops in an Orange-Cumin Sauce

Caribbean Chicken Salad


Enjoy!

Orange Salad with Arugula and Spinach

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I've been posting a lot of soups lately such as my Greek Style Lemony Chicken and Orzo Soup and the latest, Seriously Good Tortellini Vegetable Soup.  We always love a good soup when the weather is cold, but we also love a good salad to go with it.

I would say that soup and salad are MGG's favorite meal.  So when there's soups there is also salad right behind it.  I usually gravitate to produce that is in season to inspire my salad.  My local grocery store had some wonderful looking oranges.  These were Cara Cara oranges and I find them slightly more sweet than navel oranges and a little less acidic.  The flesh is a little deeper orange and they taste a little like a berry.  I love them so I bought a bunch and used them in my salad.  Orange have tremendous health benefits and they make the salad light and fresh tasting.

Orange Salad with Arugula and Spinach

You certainly don't have to buy Cara Cara oranges for this dish, navel orange are fantastic and taste wonderful as well.  Along with the oranges I mixed some arugula and spinach together as the base.  Keeping the toppings simple, I added feta cheese and some chopped almonds for crunch.

The dressing is light and bright to match the salad.  A lemon vinaigrette is enhanced with some chopped mint, which just takes the salad to the next level.  You have to try this salad!!!

So next time you have soup make sure to make a salad as well to round out the meal.  Or just have the salad as a light lunch or along side some brunch dishes.  This one is a keeper, so make it before all the wonderful juicy oranges are gone until next year!

Enjoy!







Orange Salad with Arugula and Spinach

serves 4

Salad:
2 cups arugula
2 cups baby spinach
2 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 cup feta cheese crumbled
1/4 cup almonds, chopped

Dressing:
2 Tablespoons shallots, diced
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons mint, chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil

In a jar add all salad dressing ingredients and shake well to combine.  To a large platter add arugula and spinach.  Add a little dressing and toss to coat.  Layer on the orange slices, feta cheese, and almonds.  Drizzle additional dressing over the top and serve.