Blood Orange Cranberry Muffins

          

          I recently spent a few days in Portsmouth, NH for a little weekend getaway and spa trip! This was much needed after working the holiday and holiday weekend (yes dietitians are that important they need to work on Christmas!).

       

        During my trip to Portsmouth I made a stop at Stonewall Kitchen, or as I like to call it "foodie heaven". I probably spent a good half hour in there browsing and came across Blood Orange Marmalade which gave me a little inspiration for a yummy seasonal muffin using blood oranges and cranberries.

        If you have never tried blood oranges, you are missing out! Their high anthocyanin/ antioxidant content gives them their bright red/maroon color. They are also high in Vitamin C, making them the perfect food for fighting and preventing that winter cold! Blood oranges (also called Moro) taste similar to Navel oranges but have a sweeter berry flavor.

          

         

        For the muffins I balanced the sweetness from the blood oranges with tart cranberries. The added cranberries make these muffins an antioxidant powerhouse and the perfect combination of sweet and tart. I added the marmalade to the middle of the muffins as a sweet fun surprise. By doing this I was able to cut back on the added sugars in the muffin mix. These Blood Orange Cranberry Muffins make for a delicious breakfast, snack or dessert this winter season!

Blood Orange Cranberry Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup blood orange juice
• 1/2 cup milk, fat-free
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tablespoons blood orange zest
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar, or brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (can substitute with dried cranberries)
• 1/4 cup blood orange marmalade (can substitute with orange marmalade)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease muffin tin with oil spray or line with paper liners.
2. In a medium size bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder and salt.
3. In a standing mixer mix together eggs, juice, milk, oil, zest, sugar and vanilla extract. Then fold in cranberries.
4. Fill each muffin tin 1/3 full with batter, then add 1 teaspoon of marmalade, then layer on more batter to fill each muffin tin approximately 2/3 full.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes then remove and place on wire rack to finish cooling.