Orange Raisin Muffins

I was searching for a new and different muffin recipe the other day when I came upon this. Orange flavored muffins...sounds, well, interesting. I almost passed it over and kept looking, but my interest was caught. I knew I must try this muffin recipe. When I bit into this muffin, it was like I was eating a fresh orange...except in bread form. Seriously! I'm amazed at how true the fresh orange flavor stayed in this muffin! Usually in baking, flavors get lost, but the orange taste shows right through in this recipe! Luuuurrrrvvveee it! When I was mixing up the ingredients, I was in love with how much like an Orange Julius it smelled. Which got me to thinking that I need to research a muffin option to taste just like a Julius. And if there are no recipes out there, then I will make one.

Mark.

My.

Word.

Ingredients...

...1 large orange
...1/2 cup orange juice
...1/2 cup applesauce (you can also substitute butter or plain yogurt if you have no applesauce)
...1 egg
...1 1/2 cups flour
...3/4 cup sugar
...1 tsp. baking powder
...1 tsp. baking soda
...1 tsp. salt
...1/2 cup raisins

Directions...

Peel orange and place peel in blender or food processor. Split orange into sections and also place in blender or processor. Add orange juice as well, and then blend or process until smooth. Add egg and applesauce, continuing to blend until all ingredients are smooth and there are no lumps. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined. Stir in orange mixture until all ingredients are wet. Fold in raisins. Portion into muffin tins and bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

To see more recipes featuring oranges, check out the In Season Recipe Swap over at Tammy's Recipes!