These simple orange raisin muffins have spectacular fresh orange flavor! They're moist and tender and absolutely bursting with flavor, since they're made with a whole orange and orange juice.
These muffins may not look like much, but they are surprisingly delicious!
This recipe is inspired by a recipe from The Maidstone Arms in East Hampton, NY. My parents visited the bed and breakfast in the mid 1980's to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, and the owners sent their guests home with the recipe for their popular orange raisin muffins.
The recipe quickly became a family favorite, and my mom has been baking them ever since.
I made a couple of tweaks to the recipe to simplify the process of mixing the batter and to ensure that it isn't too wet, but the muffins are still packed with fresh orange flavor.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
These muffins are absolutely bursting with fresh orange flavor, thanks to a whole orange and orange juice in the batter. They're also incredible tender and moist, since they're made with oil in addition to butter. The raisins complement the orange flavor and add a delightful, sweet chew.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
Whole Orange - This recipe uses a whole orange for loads of fresh orange flavor. We'll grate the zest (which gets mixed with the sugar), and then the peeled fruit is puréed and added to the batter.
Orange Juice - In addition to the whole orange, we'll add orange juice to the batter. You can use freshly squeezed juice or bottled 100% orange juice.
Vegetable Oil - Adding a bit of neutral oil creates a muffin that's more tender and moist than a muffin made with just butter.
Raisins - Raisins add an occasional sweet, chewy bite within the muffins. Be sure to use fresh raisins that are still plump and chewy for the best texture.
Special Equipment
In addition to essential baking equipment (like a mixing bowl and spatula), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.
- A zester, for grating the zest of the orange.
- A blender, for puréeing the whole orange. You could also use a food processor.
- A standard muffin pan, for baking the muffins.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: Zest the orange. Add the zest to a bowl with the sugar and rub the orange zest into the sugar to release the oils. Set aside.
Step 2: Peel and quarter the zested orange. Remove any seeds.
Step 3: Add the orange quarters, orange juice, butter, vegetable oil, and egg to a blender and purée. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Step 4: In a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange sugar mixture and whisk to combine.
Step 5: Add the flour mixture to the orange mixture and stir gently until just a few streaks of flour remain. Fold raisins into batter.
Step 6: Let the batter sit for 10 minutes before filling each well of a muffin pan lined with paper liners ¾ full.
Step 7: Bake muffins at 400°F for 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake for another 15 minutes or until muffin tops are golden and spring back when lightly poked. Let cool.
Allison's Top Tips
Take a full minute to rub the orange zest into the sugar. The sugar granules scrape the bits of zest, releasing the oils from the zest which will add a punch of orange flavor to the batter.
Be careful not to over mix the batter, which will cause the muffins to be less tender.
Don't skip the 10 minute rest before adding the batter to the muffin pan. During this rest the baking soda will begin to activate, giving your muffins the best rise as they bake.
Storage Instructions
Muffins are best on the day they are baked, though leftovers can be stored either at room temperature or in the freezer.
Room Temperature: Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Muffins can also be frozen, stored in an airtight container, for up to 3 months.
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Recipe
Orange Raisin Muffins
Special Equipment
- Blender
- standard muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 (275 grams) large orange
- ¾ cups (149 grams) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (82 grams) orange juice
- 4 Tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons (25 grams) vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons (6 grams) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) fine sea salt
- ½ cup (68 grams) raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside.
- Zest the orange. Add the zest to a bowl with the sugar and rub the orange zest into the sugar to release the oils. Set aside.1 (275 grams) large orange, ¾ cups (149 grams) granulated sugar
- Peel and quarter the zested orange. Remove any seeds.
- Add the orange quarters, orange juice, butter, vegetable oil, and egg to a blender and purée. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.1 (275 grams) large orange, ⅓ cup (82 grams) orange juice, 4 Tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, 2 Tablespoons (25 grams) vegetable oil, 1 large egg
- In a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange sugar mixture and whisk to combine.2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons (6 grams) baking powder, 1 teaspoon (6 grams) baking soda, 1 teaspoon (6 grams) fine sea salt
- Add the flour mixture to the orange mixture and stir gently until just a few streaks of flour remain.
- Fold raisins into batter.½ cup (68 grams) raisins
- Let the batter sit for 10 minutes before filling each well of the muffin pan ¾ full.
- Bake muffins at 400°F for 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake for another 15 minutes or until muffin tops are golden and spring back when lightly poked. Let cool.
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