07 March 2014

It's almost baking season.. Apricot & Orange Muffins

This week has been a bit chilly here in old Welly. A brutal reminder of the upcoming winter. We've had to bust out a bit of the winter gear and merino pyjamas. Cold southerlies, rain, chapped lips, and heaters on... Time to start baking.
A couple of weeks ago, I came across a very simple, easy baking cookbook from the library. I was drawn to one recipe in particular, it included two of the boys' favourite snacks, apricots and orange. There was no losing with this one.
The recipe is only altered slightly from the book, as those hungry boys love chewing and eating oranges. Peels and all! The original recipe only calls for the zest of one orange, instead I used two for that extra bite they love.
To make these awesome zesty muffins...


Ingredients :
  • 140 g dried apricots, roughly chopped
  • zest of 2 oranges
  • 125 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 250 g self-raising flour
  • 175 g honey
  • 30 g unsalted butter, melted
  • 185 ml skim milk
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
The old How-to :
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F)
Grease a 12-hole standard muffin tin.
Combine the apricots, orange zest and juice in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until just warmed through. Remove from the heat and cool.
Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Combine the honey, butter, milk and egg in a bowl, stirring to mix well. Pour into the well, then add the apricot mixture and stir quickly until just combined. Do not overmix—the batter will still be slightly lumpy.
Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin holes. (I've recently been made aware the fantasticness of using a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop out muffin mix... It's perfect and so much less messy! Why doesn't everyone know this?!) Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
In the meantime, hope for a break in the rain, a quick warm up in the sunshine and let the kiddos play in the puddles!
Allow to cool in the tin for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Happy Baking and stay warm!
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