Makes 12
These mandarin muffins are sugar and spice and all things nice!
For me they taste like Christmas, but they’re so delicious you’ll want to eat them all year round. They’re not super sweet, so you could easily eat them for breakfast, or at lunch, or for tea, or at any time of day, because whenever you eat these muffins, you’re going to love them. They can be made in advance and are very freezer friendly, so why not whip some up now and put a batch in the freezer for the holidays. If you can’t find mandarins or satsumas, oranges will work just as well. You’ll see I’ve included Traditional and Thermomix instructions so let’s get our muffin on!
Ingredients
250g plain flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
100g caster sugar (or raw sugar if using Thermomix)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 mandarins or 1 large orange
milk (about 125g)
75g melted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
150g cranberries
50g dark chocolate chips, optional
3 teaspoons demerara sugar
How to – Traditional
- Preheat oven to 180C /160C fan-forced. Grease or line a 12-cup muffin tray.
- For the base, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon.
- Grate the zest of the mandarins/orange and add to the dry mixture and combine. If you want to add chocolate chips, do it now.
- In a separate bowl, squeeze the juice of the mandarins/orange into a measuring jug and add milk until it comes up to the 200ml mark.
- Add the egg and the butter and mix with a fork until just combined.
- Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, stirring gently. Remember that when it comes to muffin batter, the lumpier the better!
- Gently fold in the cranberries and chocolate chips, if using.
- Use an ice cream scoop to spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin cases and sprinkle the demerara sugar on top.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. They should feel just firm when pressed in the centre.
- Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
- Eat warm slathered with butter and marmalade! Paddington would approve!
How to – Thermomix
- Preheat oven to 180C /160C fan-forced. Grease or line a 12-cup muffin tray.
- If using raw sugar, weigh into the bowl and mill for 3 seconds on speed 9.
- For the base, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb, nutmeg and cinnamon in TM bowl for 5 seconds on speed 4. Set aside.
- Grate the zest of the mandarins/orange and add to the dry mixture and combine. If you want to add chocolate chips, do it now.
- Set the scales on the TM and squeeze the mandarin/orange juice into TM bowl. Add the milk until it comes to the 200g mark and then mix for 5 seconds on speed 5.
- Add the egg and butter to TM bowl and mix for 10 seconds on speed 5.
- Add the dry ingredients into TM bowl. Mix for 5 seconds on speed 4, using the spatula to mix. Don’t over mix! Remember a lumpy mixture makes the best muffins!
- Add the cranberries and chocolate chips, if using, and mix for 5 seconds on reverse speed 3 using the spatula to assist.
- Use an ice cream scoop to spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin cases and sprinkle the demerara sugar on top.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. They should feel just firm when pressed in the centre.
- Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
- Eat warm slathered with butter and marmalade! Paddington would approve!
Other info
Prep Time: 5 – 10 minutes Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
TIP! The muffins can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container. For the most marvellous muffin, just pop it into a warm oven for 5 minutes before serving.
The muffins are also freezer friendly and can be stored for up to 3 months. Just thaw at room temperature and then pop into a warm oven for 5 minutes before serving.
