I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It’s amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor.
~ D.H. LawrenceIt’s true that there is something therapeutic about slivering a pile of oranges and simmering it to a brilliant gel.
This alchemy insists on a certain presence of mindfulness – you have to commit to your marmalade.
But its glowing translucence rewards you with a blast of sun in February (when the bitter Seville oranges make their brief appearance here) and throughout the year.
There’s no need to make your own, though, in order to enjoy the marmalade experience.
Even if you are not a fan of the slight bitterness that typifies good marmalade, you will enjoy these Orange Marmalade Muffins.
They are an adaptation of a recipe from Mennonite Girls Can Cook (one of my favorite recipe blogs). I reduced the marmalade slightly, but added orange juice and zest to keep the citrus boost.
I also used a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour – I prefer the texture that whole wheat gives muffins.
These are great for breakfast.
(For the record, scrubbing the floor has never cheered me up – which is why I don’t do it as often as I probably should.)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml marmalade
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml plain yogurt or sour cream
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml orange juice
- 2 teaspoons / 10 ml orange zest
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml sugar
- 1 cup / 250 ml whole wheat flour
- 1 cup / 250 ml all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon / 5 ml baking soda
- 1 teaspoon / 5 ml salt
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F / 190 degrees C.
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Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.
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In mixing bowl, beat together eggs, oil, marmalade, yogurt, orange juice, zest and sugar until well blended.
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In separate bowl, stir together remaining ingredients. Add to marmalade mixture, stirring just until combined. Do not overmix.
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Spoon into prepared muffin tin, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
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Cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove and let cool on a wire rack.
Variation:
Add 1 cup dried cranberries, or 1 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries to muffin batter when you are combining wet and dry ingredients.
Photo: By FotoosVanRobin (originally posted to Flickr as Yuzu Tea) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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