Just Lovely Orange Blueberry Muffins

I did not grow up with muffins but I have to admit that I have grown quite fond of them. For one thing, they are super fast and easy to put together and for another, they taste wonderful. The speed at which you can bake a batch makes it practical for a morning treat or a spontaneous snack. The possibilities are endless.

As much as I enjoy a nice piece of cake, I look for different qualities in my muffins. I like the texture to be a little denser and the flavor must be as assertive as a gust of fresh air. These blueberry muffins fit the bill perfectly. The orange infused batter helps to highlight the sweet berries. The texture is slightly dense. The overall effect is that the blueberries seem almost creamy inside this moist little muffin. Even my teenager, who doesn't like fruit cooked into his food, helped himself to seconds. All of us declared these little muffins a real treat.




Orange Blueberry Muffins (makes 24 small muffins or 18 regular)

If you are not concerned about gluten or wheat replace the GF flour with 1 cup of whole wheat white flour and 1 cup of all purpose and omit the xantham.
If you want to make these vegan, omit the egg and replace the butter for canola oil. I have baked them that way and they come out a little denser but they still taste great.

2 cups of GF all purpose flour mix (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp xantham gum
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup turbinado sugar or regular granulated sugar

1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp orange zest
1 whole egg
1/3 cup egg white
2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of canola oil

2 cups fresh sweet blueberries

Preheat oven 375F.
Oil muffin pans.
In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients (flour-sugar)
In another bowl mix all the wet ingredients (orange juice-oil)
Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix well. Add the blueberries and mix. Divide the batter into the muffin pans. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through and golden. Check by inserting a knife in the center to make sure the batter is cooked through.

*** Alternative baking option: Pour batter into loaf pan and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until cooked through and golden. Check by using the inserted knife method.