food 4 tots

Blueberry orange muffins

food for tots, food-4tots, toddler, children, picky eater, muffin, blueberry, orange, snack, lunch box, breakfast

 

“Didn’t you post a blueberry muffin recipe before?” asked my hubby when he saw me editing the photos for this post.
I replied “They are not the same, my dear. Both use different ingredients and different methods. I know it’s not the blueberry season now but I just can’t wait till the next season to share this recipe with my readers. Isn’t it your favourite? ”.
“Yes, in fact, it’s the best muffin you have baked so far. I love that tangy taste and smell most.” He said with a grin.

 

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This recipe, which originated from Annabel Karmel’s website, was highly recommended to me by my dearest friend Alice of Bit-Of-Taste. She had already tried and tested it herself, and the result was very satisfying. You can find her lovely blueberry muffins post in her blog.

 
On my first attempt at baking these muffins, I used lemon according to the original recipe. My hubby didn’t like the lemony taste at all. So I decided to swap lemon with orange on my second attempt. Unexpectedly, the outcome for this blueberry and orange combination turned out to be so delightful! This variation pleased not only my hubby’s palate but even my mother-in-law who was never really a big fan of muffins. Needless to say, my son had the biggest shares as he adored blueberry very much. The orange zest gave these muffins a hint of tangy and fruity smell whereas orange juice was full of natural sweetness.  These muffins got their extra moisture from the blueberries and yogurt. They stayed soft and velvety even left overnight. It was such a joy to savour them.

 

food for tots, food-4tots, toddler, children, picky eater, muffin, blueberry, orange, snack, lunch box, breakfast

 

As this recipe uses the mixing method (which no electrical mixer is required), it’s perfect for any beginners at baking. Recently, I choose this recipe to show a friend of mine on how to bake muffins. Being a working mom of two little gals, two and five respectively, she always thought that baking was very time-consuming. But, after seeing how I made these blueberry orange muffins, she was convinced that she could do it too. She also agreed that homemade muffins are indeed easy-to-bake, healthy, tasty and economical. A week later, she told me that she had bought an oven and was ready to jump on the home baking bandwagon. I was really happy to hear this.

 
These muffins are great for breakfast and tea break. Filled in a mini cup, they are good to pack for lunch box and easy to handle by your little ones.

 

You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries to make these muffins.  For variation, you can try to experiment with other type of berries. Another possible option is to use dried fruits such as raisins.  Bake some in advance and keep them in the freezer. Thaw and reheat them when you want to consume.

 

This recipe is also tried and tested by:
Anncoo Journal
Peng’s Kitchen

 

>>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for BLUEBERRY ORANGE MUFFINS recipe…………………..

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94 Comments

  1. Little Inbox says:

    I want to try the creaming method too. 🙂
    Yours really look great!

  2. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jeda Prado Depuno and Ellena Guan, Lai Kuan. Lai Kuan said: {NEW POST} Blueberry orange muffins – perfect for breakfast, snack and lunch box idea…. http://fb.me/ImxludZC […]

  3. KY says:

    These muffins look and sound good! Will definitely try them. Can I scoop the batter into the muffin cups instead of piping? I will use regular muffin cases to line my muffin tray. My sons won’t be able to open the type of muffin cups you used. Even I sometimes tear those while trying to open them up. 😉

    Thanks for your notes especially note 1. I’ve always wondered how bakeries make muffins with such nice domes. 🙂

    • food-4tots says:

      KY: Thanks!! Yes, you can scoop the batter. If you’re using small muffin cups, then piping will not be so messy. So far I have no problem opening these muffin paper cups. Just loosen the pleats and it will open up as a plate. Maybe you can take one empty cup and try my method. 😉

  4. ladyhomechef says:

    baking stuffs are really not my forte, I too, am scared of those complicated ingredients and dry and wet mixtures. so confusing… on the other hand, i am not scared of anything that can be cooked with my stoves. Now i have installed a brand new oven and i am ready to scout for more recipes to test out my new oven. This is one too because it seems to be easy enough for me to understand. 🙂 I am searching for some chewy moist huge cookies recipe to test out too, any idea?

    • food-4tots says:

      Lady Home Chef: I’m sure you will get hooked once you start your baking journey. Do let me know how it goes after trying it out. So sorry that I don’t have any chewy moist huge cookies recipe. But I would like to recommend a very good cookbook that I bought recently -《孟老師的100道手工餅乾》by 孟兆慶. I’m going to share a butter coconut cookies recipe (adapted from this cookbook) in my next post. So stay tuned! Btw, you can find it in Kinokuniya and PageOne. Hope it helps! 😉

  5. I would really like the combination of blueberry and orange which definitely produce a nice aroma! Everyone will like it!

  6. anncoo says:

    I still have frozen blueberries in my freezer and I would like to try this yummy recipe. Thanks for sharing.

  7. Alice says:

    Hey! friend! Thanks for recommending this recipe again and what a creative idea to swap lemon to orange for this recipe. I bet the orange tangy smell makes the muffins equally delicious! 😀

  8. We have beautiful blueberries here. When I see them at supermarkets, I’ll think of making some muffins with them.
    Beautiful pictures. Confirm me to make some this week.

  9. Ching @ LCOM says:

    Yummy, I love orange flavored muffin and what a great touch with added blueberries.

  10. Joanne says:

    In my personal opinion, there is just no such thing as having too many blueberry muffin recipes. I lvoe the addition of orange in these.

  11. Mel says:

    Gee, thanks so much for the notes below the recipe, I learnt so much from them…
    May I know where did you get those muffin cups? I like them very much!

    • food-4tots says:

      Mel: It’s my pleasure to share. Glad you like them. I bought these cups from Sun Lik Trading at Seah Street (Singapore). You can also find them at any Phoon Huat branches (maybe with difference designs). Hope this helps! 😉

  12. Melanie says:

    Thanks for sharing the yummylicious recipe. They r fresh from my oven 5 mins ago 😀
    I used Thicken cream(what i have in the fridge from last baking) instead of yoghurt & also added oatmeal to make the batter thicker (it’s healthy & dont feel that i actually taking oatmeal).
    Need advice why the “eruption” was not well-balanced but slanted one side, unlike yours whenever i use muffin cups instd of muffin trays/papers.

    • food-4tots says:

      Melanie: It’s my pleasure to share. Thanks for sharing your kind feedback. Hope your kids will enjoy them. It’s such a great idea to use oatmeal but will be even healthier if you stick to yogurt in your next attempt. Hehehe! As for the problem you faced, I think it may due to the uneven heat in your oven. Did you put the muffins too near to the heat source? Were some or all of them slant one side? How much batter did you fill up your muffins? Did you preheat your oven well? What was the temperature you used during baking?

  13. Peggy says:

    These look absolutely wonderful! I would have never thought to pair blueberries with orange, but it sounds like it works great! Can’t wait to try these out!

  14. Holly says:

    Hi!
    So long ago you were interested in some baked goods I made, and left a comment that you’d like some instructions on how to make them. I finally got around to it (what, a year later?) It’s here, if you’d like it.
    http://hollyklein.blogspot.com/2010/10/mummies-revenge.html
    Hope you don’t mind me following up.
    All the best!

  15. mycookinghut says:

    Looks good! This one has gone orange! Nice!

  16. Jessie says:

    I can imagine the fragrance of those muffins with the zest from the orange. Perfect match!

  17. Melanie says:

    Hi LK: I dont have this prob if i were to use muffin tray or muffin papers, the eruptions r much nicer….not until i bake in the muffin cukes 🙂

    • food-4tots says:

      Melanie: Yes, the culprit could be the muffin paper cup. As heat penerates paper faster than metal, the muffins in these paper cups will erupt faster than those placed in a muffin tray. So you need to place extra care on your oven heat. There are 3 ways to address your issue: (1) Lower down the heat and (2) Reduce the filling in your paper cup and (3) Do not squeeze too many muffins in a tray if you are using medium muffin paper cups like mine. 9 cups will be idea. Hope this helps and looking forward to your feedback again. 😉

  18. tigerfish says:

    Make some blueberry-lemon muffins and some blueberry-orange muffins, even just blueberry muffins. They will all be gone in a flash! I will take all three! 😀

  19. this muffin look great!! you know the thing I like when you guys bake cup cake or muffin is the design of the cupcake paper!! look so classic and pretty!!

  20. LK the muffins are such a beautiful golden brown. And the blueberry oozed just right =) Oh and I think it’s so sweet that your husband is so familiar with your baking and your blog!

  21. Fruitty and tangy taste….I like that!

  22. lovely muffins! I love the tangy flavours.

  23. noobcook says:

    I love the orange juice and zest… must go really well with blueberries. I saw them at anncoo’s blog too and they look great there too ^_^

  24. Lavern Owie says:

    great post, I really like it. Blueberry is my favorite. How I wish to try this at home, maybe this weekend.. as I complete the ingredients.. Thanks for posting. 🙂

  25. Taz says:

    mm, blueberry muffins are my favourite. I’ve never made blueberry and orange though.

    I adore your little muffin cups too!

  26. KY says:

    I made these today and they were good! I baked them in medium muffin cups placed on a baking tray. There were nice domes on them too. 🙂 I find them a little oily though, oil seeped through the paper cups and pooled on the baking tray. Did that happen to your muffins too?

    • food-4tots says:

      KY: Thanks for your kind feedback. As for the problem you mentioned, I didn’t encounter it with my muffins. My recipe was also tried and tested by another blogger here: http://anncoojournal.blogspot.com/2010/11/blueberry-orange-muffins.html

      Below are some of my guesses:
      a) What type of oil did you use? If olive oil, is it extra virgin or extra light olive oil?
      b) Did you use 90g or 90ml oil?
      c) Did you grease your muffin cup?
      d) What is the weight of your egg?
      e) Did the oil seep through the paper cups immediately after baking or overnight?
      f) Did you underbake your muffins?

      Do let me have your comments on the above questions. Thanks.

      • KY says:

        Hi LK,

        I’m sure it’s just me but to answer your questions:

        a) I used safflower oil which is similar to sunflower oil.
        b) I used 90ml.
        c) I used the paper cups that Alice of Bits of Taste used.
        d) They were large eggs, didn’t weigh them though.
        e) The oil seeped through after baking. The whole paper cup was oily too.
        f) I had to bake the muffins longer, about 28 mins, as my cups were larger. I made only 5 muffins from the recipe.

        The muffins themselves don’t feel oily and they didn’t taste oily too, just soft and moist. The funny thing is they don’t smell nice (the oil smell) but they taste nice! I will try them again as I still have yoghurt and blueberries left. Thanks. 🙂

        • food-4tots says:

          KY: Thanks for the reply. It sounds odd that you faced this problem. Well, give it a try and see how it goes in your 2nd attempt. Btw, do not grease your muffin cups/ pan or baking tray. Hope this helps.

  27. Xiaolu says:

    What unique wrappers! I’ve never seen any like it. Very cool of course blueberry and citrus are a wonderful combination of flavors in a muffin. Yum!

  28. Mavis_Ssmama says:

    Can you teach me how to get the orange and lemon zest? Does it include the skin?

  29. pandapanda88 says:

    Thank you so much for your lovely recipe! I made this yesterday and all my family loved it. Thanks again for being generous in sharing your good cooking skills.

  30. teru says:

    can i replace 90 ml extra light olive oil/ sunflower oil to butter?

    if yes, what is the amt?

    thanks

  31. Ling says:

    Hi,

    I just tried out your blueberry-orange combination and it was lovely! I like the slight hint of orange tang. My girl and I had it for breakfast. Thanks for sharing workable recipes again! 🙂

    • food-4tots says:

      Ling: Oh! It’s great that the recipe suits your palate. It’s my pleasure to share and thanks for your kind support too! 😉

      • Ling says:

        Hi again,

        I noticed that your muffins were baked very evenly and browned nicely. Could you share the brand of oven you used? Thanks!

        • food-4tots says:

          Ling: Thanks! I am using Rowenta table top oven with fan.

          • Ling says:

            Mine too! But your muffins were so evenly browned! Sigh.

            • food-4tots says:

              Ling: It happened to me too. There are 3 ways you can try to address this problem.
              1) Rotate your baking tray 180 degree at the last 2 minutes.
              2) Left the baking tray in the oven for another 2 minutes after the baking time. The residue heat will help to cook the inside of your muffins without darken the surface.
              3) Do not use one temperature for the entire baking process. Adjust accordingly towards the 2nd half of the baking time.

              Hope it helps! 😉

  32. Jo says:

    Hi, tried ur recipe for my first attempt and it turned out great! Thanks very much. But only managed to bake 4 muffins using the same brown cups. I used choc chips for 2 and taste good too… The blueberries were quite sour though.. Is it because of the original blueberries taste or due to baking? Thanks!

    • food-4tots says:

      Jo: Thanks for your kind feedback and glad it suits your palate! One thing I don’t quite understand is why you can only make 4 muffins instead of 9 muffins. What is the size of your muffins? Don’t mind to give me the measurement? Mine is with 4cm diameter and 4cm height. We may use the same design but with different size. Am I right? As for blueberries, did you taste your blueberries before baking? Blueberries have natural sweetness and not sour unless you buy them during off season. Hope it helps!

  33. Jo says:

    Hi, silly me. the muffin cups i used were much bigger! ya, didnt taste the blueberries beforehand. Tried afterwards and find they are sweet and a bit sour, maybe cuz they are organic… anyway, will definitely try to bake these again.

    • food-4tots says:

      Jo: Blueberries will not taste sour whether they are organic or non organic. Maybe it’s not the season. Looking forward to hearing more feedback from you. 😉

      • Ling says:

        Hi Jo,

        Just sharing my experiences with blueberries. 🙂 Blueberries come many varieties just like other fruits. Some tend towards sour-tardy taste while some are sweet. Varieties aside, their taste is also affected by the timing of harvesting and environmental factors for growth. Like what Lai Kuan have mentioned, whether the fruit is grown organically or not does not matter.

        I have eaten more sour blueberries than I care to remember. Perhaps my source comes from NTUC (cheap often doesn’t equate to good quality). Try to go for plump (bigger) blueberries. Taste one when you get home and if it is sour, keep the pack for a few days in the fridge to let it ripen further…it should taste better or less sour at least. 🙂

        • food-4tots says:

          Ling: Thanks for your kind sharing. I also bought mine from NTUC (both Fairprice and Finest). I haven’t tried keeping them for too long in the fridge as they will turn soggy after a few days. If they are meant for baking, I will wash, pat dry and freeze them immediately to maintain their freshness. I personally find Oregon brand not bad especially they are organically grown. 😉

          • Ling says:

            Hi Lai Kuan,

            Hey you bought from NTUC too! Ha ha. I was thinking that you got your supply from your trusted fruit seller as you commented that your blueberries tended to be sweet. I bought the Oregon brand before too…can’t remember the quality now. But I shall be more observant to the taste of different brands from now on.

            Talking about sogginess. Do you find that NTUC fresh produce (in general) don’t last as long as those from wet market or Sheng Siong? Hmm, there is no NTUC Finest in my area so can’t compare with that one. I’m quite a Sheng Siong fan now 😀

            • food-4tots says:

              Ling: NTUC is still the cheaper source for my blueberries especially during special offer. I haven’t been to Sheng Siong so far as there isn’t one in my area. I don’t reply a lot on NTUC for my fresh produce. If I find that the quality is not good (even though cheaper), I would rather not buying them at all. Previously, my hubby used to buy from SunMoon fresh shop (http://www.sunmoonfood.com/retail.htm) as he was working in the nearby area. The quality of the fruit is good and the price is sometimes cheaper than supermarket/ wet market. 😉

  34. Ling says:

    Hi Lai Kuan,

    Same here same here! I won’t buy cheap and poor quality stuff. Sigh. My area is saturated with 6 NTUC!!! Incredible right? And the wet markets here are of a sorry state. The nearest Sheng Siong is beside my work place which is not near my home. I love to buy fish, seafood, meat, freshly made firm tofu, veggies and fruits from Sheng Siong. They are all very good. Their salmon is so fresh that even after keeping it in the fridge (not freezer compartment) for 3 days, it is still very delicious. I remember slicing their salmon on the same day I bought it – it was oozing all those good fatty acid juices out as it was sliced through. I never felt so good before actual cooking started. 😀 BTW, NTUC salmon CMI…

  35. Mathilde says:

    Hello, I love your blog, and recipes are great : I’ve already tested two of the recipes featured on your blog (banana muffins) and they’re awesome.
    This one will be the thrid =)
    Thank your for sharing

  36. Eunice says:

    Hi! I’ve been browsing your site for a long time before I tried your muffins recipe. It was a huge success! It was my first time making the muffin btw and I’m very spurred on by the success.

    Would like to try this orange blueberries muffins this weekend. What is orange zest? And when you say “fresh orange juice”, does it have to be freshly squeezed orange juice? Or just those from ntuc in bottles will do?

    Thanks!! 🙂

  37. MrsYap says:

    Hi LK,

    I love your blogs and your recipes! 🙂

    I tried this recipe but mine didn’t turn out good. The top was little burnt and the bottom was a bit undercooked. I guess I would have to adjust the temperature of my oven next time. 🙂 I realized that my batter was too thick, it’s not really “spoonable”. Is it because I use extra virgin olive oil (this was what I had at home that time) instead of extra light olive oil? Also, out of curiousity, does it make a difference if I use double action baking powder instead of normal baking powder? This is my first time baking muffin, I guess I have to practice more! 🙂 Thks so much! 🙂

    • food-4tots says:

      Mrs Yap: Thanks for your kind support and sharing your feedback. It sounds to me that you didn’t preheat your oven long enough. It should be at least 15 minutes. It is hard for me to judge your batter based on your description here. If you don’t have extra light olive oil, you can try melted butter as a substitute. Yes, there is a different between DA baking powder and SA (normal) baking powder. You can find the explanation here: https://food-4tots.com/2011/06/08/steamed-pumpkin-muffins/2/. I suggest that you try my banana muffins or apple muffins first because these recipes are very straightforward. Then save your blueberries when you have mastered the basic skills. Don’t give up!!!

  38. Cristina says:

    Hi, I have making it today, but it turns out tasting gleeish. I followed the recipe exactly.

    Thanks

    • food-4tots says:

      Cristina: Do you mean that the taste is not right? What do you mean by “gleeish”? How did your muffins look like? Is it the first time you make muffins?

  39. Ranna says:

    Can I use the creaming method for this muffin w butter and yogurt instead of oil?

    • food-4tots says:

      Ranna: I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it out myself. But I personally don’t really recommend that. 😉

      • Ranna says:

        Hello~ I tried this with creaming method – then i add in a bit of light olive oil and yogurt. The muffins turn out quite well but I would love for it to fluff even more. I will stick to your method for this next round and try again. 🙂

  40. Kimberly says:

    These look so good! Excited to try these for my son. He is the pickiest eater so I hope these score big with him. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  41. […] This is my first attempt to bake with them and decided to try one of the recipes found in this blog. It came out well and my dear little daughter enjoyed it so much. I have used soy yoghurt in place […]

  42. […] simple and healthy recipes that I have bookmarked. Just last week LK posted this healthy recipe ~ Blueberry Orange Muffins and I immediately fell in love with it because this is a super easy recipe which you don’t […]

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