Cinnamon Raisin Orange Muffins
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Dear Reader,
Is there anything more lovely on a snowy winter’s morning than a fresh, warm batch of muffins? These Cinnamon Raisin Orange Muffins are the perfect winter treat. I have been truly loving digging into my winter pantry this season and using up the delicious things that we preserved over the summer. When fresh fruit is scare, this is a great recipe to turn to. You are going to love this soft and fluffy muffins recipe.
tips for making bakery style muffins:
Do you love the soft and moist quality of bakery style muffins? So do I! However, I was shocked when I found out that a lot of bakeries use cake mix for their muffin base. While this isn’t really that surprising, it causes you to wonder about what the difference between a muffin and a cupcake, for instance, really is. The answer is that their ingredient ratios are a bit different as well as their baking temperature.
For example, a cake’s ingredients will often have more sugar and more liquid while a muffin’s ingredients are less sugary and often will use something like sour cream or yogurt as an ingredient to react with the baking soda as well as melted butter.
To make a super soft muffin without turning the recipe into a cake, I like to use cake flour. Because not everyone has super fine cake flour in their pantry, for this recipe I am using sifted all-purpose flour, which helps create a soft and tender crumb.
Use buttermilk. Another change that I made to this recipe is to use buttermilk rather than sour cream or yogurt. It is acidic enough to activate the baking soda while giving the batter a more liquid-like consistency rather than being heavy and dense.
how to bake with dried fruit:
One trick that I have learned over the years is that using dried fruit in baked goods is amazing. I used to think that only fresh fruits were the best mix-in for muffins. I have come to learn that if you want to prevent your fruit, like blueberries, from sinking to the bottom of your muffin, you should use dried fruit instead!
To use dried fruit in baking, you need to rehydrate it first. To do this, simply place the dried fruit, like raisins, in a bowl. Cover them completely with boiling hot water. Then, just let them sit and soak up the water until all or almost all of the water is gone. This usually takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
the method:
These muffins come together really quickly. Like I said above, I decided to make this recipe more accessible by using all-purpose flour rather than cake flour. However, if you want to substitute the flour in this recipe for cake flour, you certainly can!
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. This will give you a lovely soft crumb.
Then, add in the wet ingredients: melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, and orange juice. Then, fold in the rehydrated raisins. Once the batter comes together, scoop it into a standard 12-cup muffin tin and top each muffin with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
recipe notes:
Sift your dry ingredients. This is important to give you super soft, bakery style muffins! This will also help make sure that the baking soda and baking powder are evenly dispensed in the batter.
Use buttermilk. If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can use regular milk with a splash of lemon juice. Simply let the milk curdle for a few minutes and then use as you would the buttermilk.
final thoughts:
I absolutely love these cinnamon raisin muffins! They were the perfect warm winter treat to enjoy for breakfast. My family gobbled them up in less than an hour, and I must say… I may have had two myself! They are positively delicious with a dollop of warmed butter and a hot cup of English Breakfast tea. I hope you enjoy this quick and easy muffin recipe!
xoxo Kayla
Cinnamon Raisin Orange Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup (150 g) raisins
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
- 2 1/4 cups (292 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (116 g) salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) orange juice
- 2 tsp orange zest
- Cinnamon sugar (1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp ground cinnamon)
- Warm butter, for serving
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 375° F (191° C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set this aside for now.
- Then, pour the raisins in a small bowl. Heat the water to boiling and then pour the boiling water over the raisins until they are completely submerged. Let this rest for about 30 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone and the raisins have become plump.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sifting the ingredients together will result in tender, soft muffins.
- To the flour mixture, add the sugar, butter, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, orange juice, and orange zest. Stir together with a whisk until well combined, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid from the raisins and add these to the batter. Fold the raisins in with a spatula.
- Divide the batter amongst the muffin cups. Then, top each muffin with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon sugar.
- Bake the muffins for 25 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven. When they are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, they are done. Place them on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Serve the muffins with a dollop of warm butter!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
287Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
