Orange Muffins

http://annies-eats.com/2010/04/16/orange-muffins/
Anyway, back to the food. On the muffin spectrum, these land more on the side of “an excuse to eat cake for breakfast”, but hey, I’m not complaining. These muffins are just barely sweet with a bright, fresh orange flavor, a gorgeous tender crumb, and a slight tang from the sour cream. I think sour cream is a magical ingredient in baking, similar to buttermilk. I makes things fluffy and fabulous like these amazing scones, some truly awesome chocolate cake (soon to come), and now these muffins. A lovely way to start out the day.

Orange Muffins
Yield: about 2 dozen muffins

Ingredients:
For the muffins:
1 cup milk
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
2 sticks (16 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
3½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1½ tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
Zest of 1 orange (organic if possible)

For the glaze:
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tsp. orange zest (organic if possible)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line 16 wells of a muffin pan (or pans) with paper liners. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the milk, orange juice, sour cream, eggs and melted butter. Whisk together to blend. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir to blend. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Fold in the orange zest with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Bake about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet.

To make the glaze, combine the orange juice, confectioners’ sugar, and orange zest in a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth, adding more juice if necessary to achieve your preferred consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins while they are still warm. Allow the glaze to set before serving. Store in an airtight container.