Orange Muffins

I had some leftover orange juice to use a week or so ago, so I went on a hunt for something with orange in it.  Banany loves muffins and I wanted to make something for my parents too. I found a simple enough recipe on allrecipes.com and we really liked these. I would describe them as a good, basic muffin. They weren't as good as the Cinnamon Buttermilk muffins, but they also were slightly less involved.

I made the first batch for my parents and didn't have orange zest, so theirs were probably even a little less orange flavored (sorry, mom). I skipped the topping for the second batch for Bananz, and just sprinkled them with a tiny bit of cinnamon/sugar. You could take these up a notch and make a streusel for the top...that might be yummy.

Orange Muffins
adapted from allrecipes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest

• 2/3 cup orange juice

• 1/2 cup melted butter(I used 1/4 cup melted butter + ¼ cup applesauce)

• 2 eggs (egg beaters)

• 1/2 cup ground walnuts (optional, I ommitted)

topping:

• 1 tablespoon melted butter

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, white sugar and grated orange peel. Stir in orange juice, 1/2 cup melted butter, eggs and chopped nuts, if using.

2. Pour into 12 muffin cups.

3. Blend 1 tablespoon melted margarine, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on top of each muffin. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot.