Add some sunshine to your day with these bright and flavorful Orange-Almond Muffins. With plenty of fresh orange zest and juice, as well as crunchy, nutty sliced almonds, this simple recipe comes together quickly and easily without skimping on taste.
Until my daughter and her friend decided they wanted to make some Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes, I didn’t bake much with oranges. I love sinking my teeth into sweet, juicy orange wedges, and I never saw any reason to move beyond my enjoyment of this simple, succulent snack.
But those cupcakes, made with fresh orange zest and juice, taste like summer sunshine. They cured me of my irrational need to save oranges for fresh eating.
Since you can’t always have dessert for breakfast, I needed an orange muffin recipe that would taste just as fresh and delicious as those Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes. These orange muffins — chock full of sliced almonds — fit the bill.
In addition to extra protein, the sliced almonds mixed into the batter add a subtle nutty flavor and a satisfying crunch. Before baking, I like to dress up these simple, delicious muffins with a generous sprinkling of almonds over the top.
Light and tender, these Orange-Almond Muffins come together super easily with just a couple of bowls, a whisk, and a spatula. The only challenge involves remembering to spoon the batter — which tastes like an Orange Creamsicle smoothie — into the muffin pan rather than your mouth.
Avoid tasting the pretty pale orange batter at all costs if you’d like to end up with muffins. I thought using my ice cream scoop (a perfect tool for evenly filling muffin cups) might stop me from gorging myself, but it just made this indulgence messier.
These little treats come together in no time at all, which makes them especially perfect for breakfast or a quick afternoon snack. They’re also a great project for kids to make alone or with a little help.
Full of bright citrus flavor and a delightful nutty crunch, these orange-almond muffins will add sunshine to any day.
Easy Orange-Almond Muffins
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large or 2 small oranges zested
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt not non-fat
- ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice from about 1 large or 2 small oranges
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups sliced almonds lightly toasted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º F. Grease or paper line a muffin pan with 12 cups.
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and orange zest. Add eggs, sour cream, orange juice, melted butter, and vanilla extract, whisking well to combine.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. Do not over mix. Fold in about half of the chopped almonds.
- Divide batter evenly between muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with remaining almonds.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan before removing muffins to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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These look yummy! Can’t wait to make some. Do you think you could use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour and they would still come out? If so would you have to add anything else to it?
Great question! I haven’t tested these with whole wheat flour, but I think you could replace up to half of the unbleached all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. If you try it, I’d love to hear how they turn out for you!
I made them and replaced half of the unbleached all purpose flour with the whole wheat flour and they came out great! Thanks for the idea!
Ana
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing your success!