Cranberry Orange Nut Wheat Muffins with Flax
Baking Tips and a Vegan Option
Orange zest is made by finely grating the peel of the orange after washing. If you're using oranges that are not organic and may have been sprayed with pesticides scrape the outer colored layer of the peel before grating to avoid introducing toxins to your recipe.
Nuts can easily be crushed using a sealed baggie and a rolling pin. Put the nuts in the bag, push out excess air, seal and roll over with the pin until the nuts are coarsely crushed. If you don't have a rolling pin a can will work.
These muffins will rise but not as much as some so you can fill the cups up a little more than you might using other recipes without the batter rising up and overflowing the cups.
I don't recommend using liners (paper muffin cups). They are too difficult to peel off.
Don't bake too long or they'll be hard and dry. They are just a light golden brown when you should take the muffins out of the oven. A toothpick stuck in the center of a muffin will come out clean.
Vegan Option:
Feel free to skip the egg. Just add an additional tablespoon of flax meal and two tablespoons of water to the recipe.
Instructions
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
Mix wet ingredients in a large bowl:
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup sugar (either raw or white sugar)
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 egg (see vegan option)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Mix the dry mix into the wet mix.
Add to the mix:
- 1 cup cranberries, rinsed
- 1/2 cup crushed walnuts or pecans
Spoon into greased muffin tin. Each cup should be almost but not quite full. Should make a dozen.
Bake at 350 degrees F. 18-20 minutes.
Cool a few minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. Gently loosen edges with a knife if needed.
Now, munch!