Orange Breakfast Muffins

These very simple breakfast muffins are as easy as languidly stirring the ingredients together. No mixer or beater required. Be careful not to overwork the batter though, as lumpy is what you're after. Made with just a little sugar, these delicious babies won't make you feel guilty the rest of the day for indulging first thing in the morning.  And because they're not very sweet, I advise you to go for it and enjoy them with a little jam. I had mine with strawberry and am inspired to take on homemade preserves with all the strawberries that are ripening so quickly around here. Stay tuned!

                    6 tablespoons unsalted butter
                    1 2/3 whole wheat pastry flour
                    2 tablespoons ground almonds
                    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
                    1 teaspoon baking powder
                    1/4 cup mascobado sugar
                    zest of 1 orange
                    1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
                    1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
                    1 egg

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups.

Melt the butter and set aside. Combine the flour, ground almonds, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and orange zest in a large bowl. Measure the orange juice and milk into a pitcher and whisk in the egg and then the cooled, melted butter. Now pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing with a fork as you go. The batter will be lumpy but that's how it should be: you want everything to be no more than barely combined.

Spoon the mixture equally into the muffin cups and cook for 15-20 minutes. Remove, in their paper cups, to a wire rack and let cool slightly. Serve warm with jam or preserves.

Makes 12 muffins.


Adapted from Nigella Lawson, Nigella Bites.