Orange Date Food Processor Muffins
Mixed entirely in a food-processor, these muffins are moist and flavourful thanks to the entire orange (that's right, peel and all!) that goes into them.
Servings: 12 muffins
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- ¾ cup pitted dates
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 whole orange, cut into 8 pieces, seeds removed
- ½ cup freshly-squeezed orange juice (or juice from one orange)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup butter, cold and cut into about 8 pieces
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar (turbinado, raw, etc) (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or butter, or line with muffin liners.
- Whisk together ¾ cup of the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Toss the dates with remaining ½ cup all-purpose flour then add mixture to the food processor. Process the mixture until the dates are evenly chopped into small bits. Add the orange pieces (yes, rind and all) and process until finely chopped. Add orange juice, eggs, and butter and process until butter is mixed throughout. Add the dry ingredients and process briefly, just until no more flour is visible.
- Using two spoons or a cookie scoop, divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. The muffins cups will be full. Sprinkle each muffin top with about ½ teaspoon of raw sugar. Bake muffins for 15-20 minutes or until golden and a finger pushed gently on the top of a muffin leaves no indent. Check for doneness at 15 minutes to avoid over-baking. Allow muffins to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pans, then remove them and let cool completely on wire racks.
Notes
- Personally, I prefer baking muffins directly in pans rather than using liners. This gives them a beautiful golden brown crust. I use a non-stick muffin pan and lightly spray with cooking oil spray.
- If you are unsure about whether your muffins are done or not, and the finger test isn't working for you, poke a toothpick in the centre of a muffin - it should come out clean if they're done.
- Coarse (turbinado or raw) sugar sprinkled on the muffin tops right before baking gives them an attractive sparkle and an extra little crunch! If you have coarse sugar in your cupboard, then don't skip this step!