Orange and Date Muffins

Eyeing off a pile of oranges in my fruits bowl, I felt inspired to make something with them. The longer I bake, the more I’m convinced that citrus flavours are my favourite for baking and cooking. These muffins are delightfully simple and quick; an easy option to whip up for morning tea or brunch on a Sunday morning. They’re also a great way to use up excess oranges. This recipe makes 16 smallish or 12 large muffins.

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole orange (rind and fruit)
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup dried dates (about 12)
  • 1 egg**
  • 1/8 cup margarine, plus 1 tablespoon margarine
  • 3/4 cup wholemeal flour (I didn’t have any wholemeal flour so I used all plain white)
  • 3/4 cup plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup sugar

Cut the orange into at least 8 pieces, remove the seeds and place into a blender with the orange juice.

Blend until the rind is finely ground. Now add the dates, egg, and margarine and blend until mixed.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar.

To the flour mix, add the orange puree and stir until just combined; don’t over-work the batter.

Grease or line 12 muffin cups (or more if you wish to make smallish muffins) and fill them 2/3 of the way up.

Bake at 205° for 15 minutes, checking with a tester to see when they’re done.

Remove from the pans as soon as they’re out of the oven, so they don’t dry out with residual heat from the trays.
Enjoy these with friends over a cup of tea for your next morning tea. They are a moist, flavoursome muffin that is incredibly easy to create.

**I had 2 egg yolks I wanted to use up so I put them in this recipe instead of 1 whole egg. It made no difference to the final product and solved my usual dilemma of how to use up excess egg yolks!

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