Tender, soft, and moist Orange muffins are bursting with citrusy flavor enhanced by olive oil. They’re easy to make with everyday pantry ingredients, including fresh oranges.
I love baking with oranges, it is a simple way to add a fresh, natural flavor to my baked goods with minimum effort. Plus, oranges are great ingredient to pare with other flavors and create something uniuqe like this Rich Chocolate Orange Cake, and this Orange Cream Cheese Cake.
This recipe is all about that bright citrus flavor, and the best way to make it truly shine is by adding olive oil. It carries and enhances the orange flavor while providing a soft, tender, and moist texture. The only hesitation I had was that olive oil can add a slightly bitter taste to baked goods. That’s because it’s rich in natural plant compounds that bring aroma, color, and flavor. But after some testing and research, I figured it out, and I’m sharing all my tips and tricks.
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full recipe with measurements in the recipe card below. Here’s a quick look at the key ingredients and why they matter.
- Fresh Oranges. We will only use the zest, so the more vibrant the color the stronger the flavor.
- Olive oil. To clarify, extra virgin olive oil, tend to be more bitter, so please take a look at the label. If it says “light” or “refined” it is less likely to have a bitter effect on the muffins.
- Sour Cream. Its fat content, along with its acidity, neutralizes the oil’s bitterness. It also reduces baking time and the loss of moisture through evaporation, resulting in moist, soft muffins.
- Vanilla Extract. Has a sweet creamy concentrated flavor and aroma, and it acts as a distraction from the bitterness.
- Sugar. Adds sweetness, and because it bonds with water from its soundings, it enhances and prolong the fresh, moist texture.
Make Them
This is a two stage recipe, meaning we mix the wet ingredients in one bowl, the dry in a separate then mix the two. However, in this recipe we are taking a few simple, easy step to enhance the orange flavor, and the muffin’s texture.
- Warm the olive oil in the microwave for 30 seconds, or on the stove, just until it is 120F. Warming the olive oil is another step in making sure the oil’s bitterness is a no issue.
- Rub the orange zest into the sugar using a fork, (or your fingers) until the mixture is aromatic and orange color.
- Mix in the olive oil, followed by the eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Let the mixture sit for about 10-15 minutes. This rest time will further dissolve the sugar, and strength the its bond with the liquids which will increase the soft, moist texture.
- Mix the flour, and baking powder then mix it into the orange mixture.
- For bakery style muffins: refrigerate the batter for 2 hours, then fill the muffins liner all the way to the top.
Yields & Storage
This recipe will yield 5-6 large, bakery-style, or, 10-12 regular size.
Storage: the muffins are best during he first 24 hours, stored at room temperature. Leftovers should be frozen in a freeze bag for up to four weeks.
Moist Orange Muffins (With Olive oil)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup (200g) Granulated sugar
- Zest of two medium-large oranges
- 2/3 Cup (160ml) Olive oil
- 3/4 Cup (180ml) Sour cream at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Large Eggs at room temperature
- 1 Large Egg yolk at room temperature
- 2 Cups (240g) Unbleached All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1/4 Cup Turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Place the sugar in a large bowl, then use a fork to rub the orange zest into the sugar until you have an orange mixture with a citrus aroma.
- Measure the oil in a heat proof cup, then warm it in the mixrowave for 30 seconds.
- Pour the olive oil over the orange/sugar mixture and mix. Set aside for five minutes.
- Mix in the sour cream, vanilla extra, eggs, and egg yolks and mix until smooth. Set a side for 10-15 minutes (optional).
- MIx the flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl, then add it to the wet mixture and stir just until you no longer notice any dry flour. Lumps are ok! Do not over mix.
- For a bakery style muffins: refrigerate the batter for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 375F, and line a muffin pan with 10 muffins liners, or six large muffin lines.
- Fill each liner with the muffin batter all the way to the top.
- Sprinkle the top of each muffin with 1 teaspoon of Turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 5 minutes, then reduece the oven temperature to 350F and bake for additional 15-20 minutes. Time depends on the size of the muffins.
- The muffins are ready when they are puffed, and a toothpick comes out from the center of the muffin with a few dry crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes. The muffins are best in the first 24 hours and when completely cool.
Notes
- This recipe yields 10 regular size muffins, or 6 large bakery style muffins.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container, or a bag for up to 48 hours.
- Freeze leftovers for up to three weeks: make sure to tightly wrap them with plastic bag then place in a freezer bag.
- Use unbleached all purpose flour for best texture. If you only have bleached flour, increase the sour cream amount to 1 cup.
