Chocolate Orange Muffins

One of my favorite flavor combinations is chocolate and orange, and these muffins showcase the duo perfectly. I learned to make muffins in high school home economics class, and I can still hear my teacher, Miss Craig telling us to not overmix the batter. We did tests with different muffins that were overmixed and those that weren’t. The ones that were, had big “tunnels” inside and were heavy and dense. The ones that had been mixed just until the flour disappeared were light and airy. It was a lesson I’ll always remember. Make a batch of these muffins for breakfast or dessert, and put the leftovers in the freezer, ready to be heated when you’re craving this marvelous flavor duo.

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Ingredients

Makes 1 Dozen

Chocolate Orange Muffins

• Zest of 2 oranges, 1 tablespoon reserved for garnish

• 2 cups flour

• ½ cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ cup unsweet cocoa

• 1 cup orange juice

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Glaze:

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

• ¼ cup hot water

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk the zest, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Add the orange juice, egg, and vegetable oil. Stir until you can no longer see flour. Stir in the chocolate chips. Do not over mix. With a large scoop, fill paper muffin cups set inside a muffin tin, filling ¾ full. Bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Drizzle with chocolate glaze and garnish with orange zest. Keeps in an airtight container for 3 days.

Chocolate Glaze:

Combine all ingredients until it is a pourable sauce, adding more water if necessary.