Twas The Night Before...

Twas the night before the Improv Cooking Challenge and all through the house were wafting smells so delectably delicious that no one could sleep. There was  a sweet smell of oranges and cranberries laced with cinnamon and brown sugar too. The whole house smelled so incredibly wonderful that the whole family was scurrying to the kitchen to see what mom was cooking. Mmm... what they found were fresh oranges and cranberries in warm toasty muffins with a delightful orange glaze on top. "Now put on the coffee pot." father said, "And bring out the sweet cream cinnamon butter and we'll all get to tasting."  And so it went. First came one yum and then came two and so it continued till all the muffins were through. As quick as a wink they vanished without a trace or a crumb to be found.  

This tasty story was brought to you by December's Improv Cooking Challenge ingredients~ Orange and Cranberry. In case you want want to whip up a tasty batch of these delectably, delicious muffins, here's the recipe for you. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup  softened, unsalted butter
1/2 cup  granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
the zest of 2 oranges
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons orange juice, fresh squeezed if possible
2 Tablespoons half and half
1-1/2 cups fresh cranberries

Orange Glaze

1 cup  powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons orange juice, fresh squeezed if possible

Directions~

Preheat your oven to 425F degrees. Line your muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.  In a  stand mixer beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy. A minute should do it. Add the white and brown sugars and beat on high until creamed, about 2 full minutes. Scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl once or twice. Add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Now turn up to high speed and beat until the mixture is combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Now add in the orange zest and mix until it is combined. Toss together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Now add your wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently with a whisk. Lastly add the orange juice and half and half, gently whisking until combined and little lumps remain. Fold in the cranberries with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into prepared your prepared muffin pan, filling them all the way to the top. Bake for the muffins for 5 minutes at 425F degrees, then lower the oven temperature to 350F degrees and bake them for an additional 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the muffins are cooling a bit you can mix up the glaze. Simply whisk the powdered sugar and the orange juice together until it is smooth and free of lumps. Place the glaze in a small ziploc baggie. Close the bag tightly, removing all of the air and snip off a corner. Drizzle the glaze over warm muffins. Serve with some coffee and enjoy.

​Makes 1 dozen muffins​

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