Orange-Cranberry Yogurt Muffins

Here we go with my probably last Christmas recipe for this year.
It's really a good one. But I think the only one I have made without cinnamon. This could really be a miracle this year, since I am so in love with this spice, like forever.

The muffins contain dried cranberries and oranges, so I guess you can call it also a pretty Christmassy recipe.

I love the scent of oranges, when you first peel them and then slowly eat one slice after the other. The left over peels bring this beautiful warm and fruity smell into the whole room. When I was a child, I always wanted to make perfume out of it, because it had this beautiful smell. We always took the peels and squeezed them until tiny drops of orange juice came out. That was absolutely the greatest.

Then after eating an orange we laid the peels on a heater and let them dry completely. So the smell was even stronger in the house and they looked pretty as Christmas decorations.
So this recipe is for all the other orange lovers out there!

Orange-Cranberry Yogurt Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

For the Loaf:

1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided (190g)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (240g)

1 cup sugar (200g)

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cups butter, melted (150g)

1 1/2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed (200g)

For the Orange Glaze:

1 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (125g)

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of a muffin pan.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, orange zest, vanilla and melted butter. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the cranberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Let muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a plate. Then let cool completely.

To make the orange glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the orange juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of orange juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the orange glaze over the top of each muffin and let it drip down the sides. Let the orange glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen