Orange Kissed Muffins

Orange kissed muffins are like eating sunshine. By using reduced orange juice concentrate in the batter you get the amazing flavors of orange. This recipe is very versatile and easy to whip up for your next brunch or breakfast gathering. Making this delicious muffin recipe is the perfect way to start your day!

What I love about these muffins

This recipe is an updated version of my moms Orange Kiss Me Cake recipe. Over the years I have made this cake several times but it never turns out how I remember it as a child. Recently I got a bug in my bonnet about figuring this recipe out, needless to say we have been eating our share of orange cake and muffins. I remember this cake being full of orange flavor and very moist, not too sweet more tart than sweet, it would almost make you pucker when you took your first bite. However, every time I made it it was dry and did not have the smack of orange that I remembered. So after several trials I decided to turn it into a muffin recipe, that can also be made into a 8×8 coffee cake if you rather, and I think it is now perfected! Every bite smacks me right back to my childhood!

Gather these ingredients

This is how you make Orange Kissed Muffins

Pour orange juice concentrate into a sauce pan and reduce to 2/3, approximately 1 cup total after cooking, over medium heat. This step will take up to 30 minutes. Do not boil, and keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn . While orange juice concentrate is reducing you can measure out your other ingredients. When oj is reduced. Pour into a measuring cup and allow it to cool, you can speed up cooling process by placing in the refrigerator.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl measure out dry ingredients: flour, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a large mixing bowl. Combine flour with ingredients by whisking it together.

Measure out wet ingredients: buttermilk, eggs, oil, vanilla extract into a smaller bowl or a large measuring cup. Whisk ingredients. Sprinkle with baking soda and give a quick whisk.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine using a spatula or a wooden spoon.

Add 2/3 cup of the reduced orange juice concentrate to the batter. Batter should be smooth but not over mixed, as soon as ingredients are completely incorporated and the batter is smooth you are good to go.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, place muffin papers in tin. If you decide to make cake version, butter or spray pan with non stick baking spray. Using a 1/4 cup cookie scoop or ice cream scoop fill muffin cups 1 scoop each, 2 scoops if making large muffins.

Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon cinnamon sure over the top of each muffin. Place in preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

As soon as you remove from oven drizzle leftover orange juice reduction over top of the muffins, about 1 teaspoon per muffin. Allow about 10 minutes for juice to soak in before eating.

Its hard to wait 10 minutes, go ahead eat one, piping hot, you will be licking the sweet orange glaze from your fingers!

Tips & Variations

• Don’t have any buttermilk? Not a problem, measure out a cup of milk minus 1 teaspoon and then add a teaspoon of white vinegar to the cup of milk, give a stir and let set for 10 minutes before using. Voila! Buttermilk!
• Do not skip reducing orange juice. You may be tempted to skip this step, and honestly you could, but you will not get as much orange flavor in your muffin / cake. Reducing the orange juice is what really gives you that punch of orange flavor!
• When sprinkling with cinnamon sugar be sure to make sure the whole top of the muffin or cake is covered in sugar that the sugar isn’t piled up in one spot. Should be an even layer of sugar.
• Blueberry Orange Kissed Muffins – Add one cup of fresh or frozen blueberries to the batter, you may need to add more cooking time if you add frozen berries. This is so, so, so, so, so, so good!! Did I say how yummy this is? The blueberry version is so good!
• Chocolate Chip Orange Muffins – If you like the flavors of chocolate and orange together you will love these muffins with chocolate chips. Add 1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips to the batter at the very end. Bake time is the same.
• Cranberry Orange Muffins – this recipe is perfect to add to your holiday season line up. Add one cup of fresh cranberries to the batter before baking.
• Extract – This recipe lends itself well to adding extract. Next time add a half teaspoon of almond extract or to really give it a pop of citrus add a half teaspoon of orange or lemon extract.
• Coffee Cake – The original recipe was made in a 9×13 inch cake pan, this didn’t work very well, I rewrote the recipe to make 16 muffins or one 8×8 cake pan. Same method as the muffins, sprinkle top of batter evenly with cinnamon sugar and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Freezing: These muffins freeze well. I would advise because of their stick nature either freezing them individually in sandwich bags, or wrapping them in plastic wrap. Or flash freezing them, which means putting them on a cookie sheet in the freezer until they are frozen solid and then put them in a larger bag or freezer safe container together.

Orange kissed muffins is one of those easy recipes that can be made the day before if you have a busy morning. It’s an easy Mother’s Day breakfast addition, add it to your Fathers Day brunch recipes. It is also the perfect homemade treat to share with a friend. It will definitely brighten their day!

More muffin recipes for your eating pleasure

• Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins
• Bran Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Mini Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
• Whole Wheat Pumpkin Oat Muffins
• Morning Glory Muffins ~ carrot spice cake muffin