Orange Cranberry Wheat Germ Muffins

Recipe for Orange Cranberry Wheat Germ Muffins

Source: Inspired by Cooking Light

Make: 16 small muffins

Ingredients:
1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup toasted wheat germ (note 1)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup sweetnened dried cranberries (note 2 & 3)
2 large eggs (at room temperature) – about 60-65g each including shell
½ cups packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange rind (from 1 large orange)
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
160g plain yogurt (note 4)
¾ cup extra light olive oil

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (note 5)
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda, and sieve. Add salt and dried cranberries. Stir until well combined. Make a well in the center of mixture.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, crack the eggs and beat them lightly. Add brown sugar, orange rind, orange juice, vanilla extract, yogurt and oil. Stir until well combined.
4. Gently fold the wet ingredients (from step 3) into the dry ingredients (from step 2) just until combined and no traces of flour. Do this in 3 stages. Do not over-mix.
5. Spoon batter into the muffin cups until 80% full.
6. Bake at 180°c for 15-17 minutes or until the muffins have risen and turned to golden brown. Insert a toothpick into the centre to test. If it comes out clean, the muffins are cooked.
7.  Cool the muffins on a wire rack.

Notes:

1. Toasted wheat germ will give muffins a nutty flavour but raw wheat germ is fine too.
2. Put the dried cranberries into a plastic bag. Pour filtered water into the bag and pour it out immediately. Set aside for 1-2 hours to allow them to rehydrate. Pat dry with kitchen towel before using.
3. You can swap dried cranberries with other dried fruits such as raisins, dried blueberries or dried cherries.
4. I use Greek-style yogurt which is creamier and thicker than normal plain yogurt. You can use either one.
5. Start off the oven hot – This sets the top crust quickly which allows the batter underneath to stay liquid, build up pressure and eventually burst up like a volcano. However, the dome effect is not so significant here as I baked them at 180°c throughout. You may refer to my early post on how to get a nice dome effect.
6. Use dry measuring cup to measure all-purpose flour, cranberries, wheat germs and brown sugar.
7. The baking time and oven temperatures may vary depending on the oven, the size of muffins or the type of baking moulds used. So please do your own experiment.
8. These muffins freeze well inside a zip-lock bag. Whenever you feel like eating them, just thaw them first and then place them inside a preheated oven/ toaster oven for 5 minutes (power off). You can also steam them.