Ready to trot into the oven in just 10 minutes these Blood Orange Drizzle Muffins with Chocolate Chips are an easy, sweet and seasonal breakfast win to enjoy.
I’ve been having a mini kitchen crisis over the last few weeks. The UK has supply issues. Unsurprisingly, given our climate, a large proportion of our modern-day fresh fruit and vegetables are imported during the cooler months. And our supermarket shelves have been suffering as a result of recent flooding and snow in Spain – one of our key sources of supply. In particular, our courgette and spinach shelves are bare. I use alot of these vegetables in my everyday cooking, so I’ve been missing my little green friends. Alot.
To cheer myself up, I decided to get myself a fix of blood oranges, which are usually in abundance at this time of year. Usually I say…
I did eventually get myself a handful last week, but it took me some time to track them down. I’ve just been rummaging around online and discovered that although Spanish crops of citrus fruit are fine, there may just be a slight problem with producers being able to reach their harvest due to the unusually nasty weather they are having to endure.
Although it’s a tad annoying to be restricted in my shopping habits, it is a timely reminder that I live in fortunate times. It won’t be long before our supermarket shelves are flowing properly again. And in the meantime, I’ll take the opportunity to stretch my brain cells a little further to temporarily replace my courgette and spinach fetish in the kitchen.
Putting supply issues aside, shall I get to the Orange Drizzle Muffins?
Normally muffins are lower in fat, eggs and sugar than cake. They are often loaded up with fruit and frequently come un-adorned on top apart from a delectable crunchy crust. They are seemingly relatively healthy.
Not mine.
Not. Even. Close.
Forgive me, but I may have just ever so slightly ruined this seemingly healthier snacking option. You see, I wanted to make the most of blood orange season so I decided to splurge out. Yes, I put the blood oranges inside of the muffin, but then… and this is where it all goes wrong… I decided to top these almost innocent muffins with a gloriously citrusy blood orange drizzle.
Make no mistake: this drizzle is loaded with sugar. It is not remotely healthy.
But it tastes so good.
These baked gems are bursts of spongy, bouncy, citrusy joy. Hidden inside of these Orange Drizzle Muffins are poppy seeds and chunks of chocolate along with a hint of sweet spice. Coupled with the crunchy, zesty orange drizzle, these little beauties are too good to pass over.
And I love the occasional fleck of red-orange flesh on top of the muffins. It makes my wintery heart sing with joy.
One of the beauties of these muffins is their simplicity to make. It’s as simple as mixing the wet ingredients into the dry. They can be in the oven in ten minutes flat. And they can be in your mouth within a half hour.
No fancy techniques, knowledge, equipment or impatient waiting around is required.
And of course, if you cannot lay your hands on blood oranges, these Orange Drizzle Muffins will turn out fine if you use normal oranges until normal service resumes.
Fancy a harder-hitting blood orange recipe? Try my Blood Orange & Rosemary Martini.
And if you love drizzle toppings you’ll be impressed by my Lemon and Poppy Seed Drizzle Cake with Thyme.
Blood Orange Drizzle Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 250 g/ 2 cups Plain (all purpose) flour – or a 50:50 mix of plain and spelt flours
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda
- 75 g/ ⅓ cup Caster sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon Poppyseeds
- 100 g/ ⅔ cup Milk chocolate chips
- 1 Blood orange – zest and juice
- 100 ml Whole milk – approximately
- 60 g/ ¼ cup / ½ stick Butter – melted
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
For the blood orange drizzle
- Juice 1 blood orange
- 100 g/ ½ cup Granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 185C/370/ GM5 and line a muffin tray with 12 muffin cases
- Weight the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, spices, poppy seeds, chocolate chips and zest) into a medium mixing bowl
- Pour the orange juice into a measuring jug and top up with sufficient milk to reach 150ml. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix with a fork
- Pour the liquid onto the dry ingredients along with the melted butter and stir until the batter is just combined (do not over-mix)
- Divide the batter between the muffin cases and bake for approximately 20 minutes until well risen, golden and a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean
- Mix the Orange juice and granulated sugar together and spoon over the muffins whist still warm
- Once cool store in an airtight container and eat on the day they are made (see notes below)
Katy
Great recipe. I will make them soon. I think the egg is in the wrong ingredients list – it seems to be with the drizzle by accident.
Jane Saunders
Hi Katy. Thanks for taking the time to pick me up on my mistake. Indeed, that egg should definitely not be in the drizzle. Hope you enjoy them just as soon as you can get hold of a blood orange again.
Platter Talk
Nice! I don’t think that I’ve ever used citrus in muffins before. Great recipe and gorgeous photos!
Jane Saunders
Thanks so much.
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
Muffins are one of my favourite breakfast foods. Blood oranges are the best oranges ever. The classic orange/chocolate flavour combo is so delicious.
Jane Saunders
Thanks Gloria – classics are usually well-founded.
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours
Must be horrible in Spain, we’re only feeling the side effects. I do feel for those that have it hardest. It is really odd though not seeing the usual fruit and vegetables in the supermarkets.
Now for these tempting muffins! If you’re going to be naughty, may as well make it really nice. They sound delicious. We’re all allowed treats at some point, afterall.
Jane Saunders
Definitely, Helen. It’s people’s livelihood being affected too. Thanks for stopping by.
Nicola @ Happy Healthy Motivated
I live in Spain and my sister-in-law in the UK was just telling me how expensive courgettes and aubergines are right now because of the bad weather! Weird coincidence. I love all the different aspects of these muffins. The texture from the seeds, the richness from the chocolate chips and the sweetness from that amazing glaze!
Jane Saunders
Ah, thanks Nicola. Hope you’ve managed to avoid the worst of the weather. It’s good to be reminded that we are lucky with our food options most of the time.
Julia @ HappyFoods Tube
I love citrus in baking. Your muffins look delicious! BTW, The snow and rain were unreal here in Spain! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Hopefully the deliveries will get back to normal for you soon.
Jane Saunders
Oh, sounds as if you guys have had the UK share of white stuff. It’s been cold here but no significant snow. What is the weather doing! Thanks for stopping by Julia.