Cranberry-Orange Muffins

Cranberry-Orange Muffins 

Step 1: 

1 cup dried (sweetened) cranberries

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1 tbspn brown sugar

Step 2:

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup tapioca flour

1 tbspn xantam gum

1 Tablespoon and 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp cloves

Step 3:

1/2 cup Smart balance flax seed or unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 Tablespoon fresh orange zest (the zest of one whole orange)

2/3 cup sugar

Step 4: 

2 eggs or flax substitute (see substitutes)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons Olive or Canola oil

1 Tablespoon orange juice or orange extract

Step 5: 

1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line a muffin/cupcake pan with paper liners or grease 18 muffins tins.

Zest one whole orange (making about 1 Tablespoon of zest) and set aside. Squeeze the juice from that one orange and set aside (approx 1/3 cup).

Step 1: Put the orange juice (if needed, add some prepared orange juice to the fresh juice to make 1/3 cup), brown sugar and the cranberries in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer stirring so they don't burn.  Simmer about 5 minutes, stirring as needed.  Turn off heat and set aside.

Step 2: In a large bowl add the brown rice flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt and spices, and set aside.

Step 3:  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, orange zest and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).

Step 4: Scrape down the side of the bowl, then add in the eggs (one at a time), vanilla, 1 Tablespoon orange juice and oil.  Blend until well combined.

Step 5: Add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk (add about half of the flour mixture, then some milk,then the rest of the flour, and the rest of the milk). Fold in the cranberries.  Do not over mix. Fold in a little more orange juice if batter if to thick.  Batter should be consistency of really thick brownie batter.

Step 6: Scoop batter into prepared muffin/cupcake pan.

Bake muffins about 20 minutes 

Cool muffins on a wire cooling rack.

Enjoy the muffins while still warm, or when cool.  They are best the day they are made, but are still very good the next day.

Yields about 18 standard muffins.

Modified to make it gluten free from Glorioustreats.com