Orange-Cranberry Wheat Germ Muffins

I was in a “baking mood” as I like to call it, late last night so I quickly threw together these orange-cranberry muffins as a late night snack….and boy were they good!

When my husband, Matt, asked what I was cooking, I vaguely told him “muffins”. Matt is picky when it comes to fru-fru, “girly” food – or anything that contains dried fruit. I guess it was my lucky day, because he liked them!!! I was so excited because Matt hates craisins and oranges, so it was a big complement to me when he said he enjoyed them.

These orange-cranberry wheat germ muffins are from Cooking Light, and as expected, are quite healthy. The wheat germ provides an excellent source of vitamin E, and the orange juice adds calcium.

The muffins are best served warm, so either eat them immediately from the pan, or pop one in the microwave to reheat. I like to add a squirt of honey or orange marmalade for that extra citrus punch. Enjoy!

Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through nutmeg).

Combine brown sugar, oil, rind, juice, and eggs.

Make well in center and pour egg mixture into flour mixture. Fold together until just combined.

Spoon into lightly greased muffin pan.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 17 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the center.

Serve warm with honey, butter, or orange marmalade.

Orange-Cranberry Wheat Germ Muffins
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
1/2 cup raw wheat germ
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 large eggs
Cooking spray
1 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.
3. Combine brown sugar, oil, rind, juice, and eggs; stir with a whisk. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir just until combined. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.
4. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake at 375 degrees F for 17 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched in center.

Yield: 12 muffins
Recipe from: Cooking Light

Cranberry Orange Scones

Afternoon tea and scones may be popular with the British, but it doesn’t mean that we Americans shouldn’t enjoy them too! Here’s a great cranberry orange scone recipe I’d like to share with you from one of my favorite chefs, Ina Garten: The Barefoot Contessa.

My mom, sister, and I have been making these scones for years. I didn’t mention my dad or husband in the last sentence, because they don’t like these…. they say they’re too “girly” and they don’t like dried fruit. So ladies, this is a recipe for you and primarily your girlfriends. Don’t bother the guys with this one, save the cocoa brownies with browned butter and walnuts for them!

For those of you who have never eaten a scone, it’s like eating a sweet biscuit. They are flakey, buttery and the orange zest and dried cranberries result in the perfect combination of flavors in this quick bread. Don’t forget to drizzle some of the orange glaze on top! Enjoy.

Mix flour, sugar, powder, salt and orange zest.

Add the cold butter and mix until the size of peas.

Combine the eggs and heavy cream.

Fole in the dried cranberries.

Knead dough and roll to 3/4-inch thick. Cut circles of dough with a biscuit cutter.

Place cut out dough on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes in a 400 degree F oven. Cool for 15 minutes and drizzle with orange glaze.

Eat up!

Cranberry Orange Scones
Ingredients
4 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup dried cranberries
1 egg beaten with 2 Tbsp. water or milk for egg wash
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus 2 Tbsp.
4 tsp. freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas.
3. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy!
4. Combine the dried cranberries and 1/4 cup of flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.
5. Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 -inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn’t stick. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough.
6. Place the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Collect scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.
7. Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.

Yield: 14-16 Scones
Recipe from: Barefoot Contessa

Pecan-Orange Granola with Dried Cranberries

If you are a fan of all things crunchy, you must make this pecan-orange granola with dried cranberries soon! It beats any granola from a box, including Bear Naked granola, my favorite… until now.

My mom forwarded me this granola recipe from the latest Cooks Illustrated magazine. When I stopped by her house for a quick lunch this past week, I was pleasantly surprised to see and smell the wonderful aroma of freshly baked granola.

It’s an extremely easy recipe to make. Simply combine all of the ingredients except the dried fruit, and bake for 40-45 minutes. Next, let the granola cool and harden for 1 hour before breaking into crunchy clumps of desired size and tossing with the dried cranberries.

As far as taste goes, I could probably eat all nine cups of this granola…it is that good! The combination of maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and orange zest make for a warm and comforting snack that is seriously addicting.

Sprinkle granola over Greek yogurt, serve it in milk like you would cereal, or munch on it plain as a mid-morning or afternoon snack. Enjoy!

Bake granola for 40-45 minutes in a 325 degree oven. Let cool for 1 hour.

Break granola into pieces and toss with dried fruit.

Pecan-Orange Granola with Dried Cranberries
Ingredients
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup packed (2 1/3 ounces) light brown sugar
4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest
2 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups (10 ounces) pecans, coarsely chopped
2 cups dried cranberries

Directions
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, orange zest, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Whisk in oil. Fold in oats and nuts until thoroughly coated.
3. Transfer oat mixture to prepared baking sheet and spread across sheet into thin, even layer (about 3/8-inch thick). Using stiff metal spatula, compress oat mixture until very compact. Bake until lightly browned, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating pan once halfway through baking.
4. Remove granola from oven and cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour. Break cooled granola into pieces of desired size. Stir in dried fruit. (Granola can be stored in airtight container fro up to 2 weeks.)

Yield: about 9 cups
Cooks Illustrated, March & April 2012