Citrus Yogurt Muffins

I’m secure enough to put my mistakes out there on the web to be read in perpetuity which is why I wrote How Not To but if I get it right I’m also going to crow a little- and share the results!

These spunky muffins are a recipe from the same book that produced the cupcake debacle so I was hesitant to try them but the lure of lemon and lime zest was too great. Thankfully, the end result is a tender tasty muffin that is not too sweet and low in fat. 

Citrus Yogurt Muffins

From 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Connolly

2C flour                                                           1T baking powder

¾ C superfine sugar                                         pinch of salt

1T ea grated lemon, orange, lime zest               1C fat free plain yogurt

½ C sunflower or canola                                   1 lightly beaten egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 cup muffin pan.

In a medium bowl all the dry ingredients including the zest. In a large bowl beat together the oil, yogurt, and egg until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.

Spoon the batter into the pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins and serve warm. If eating next day toast to re-crisp outside.Can also be frozen for up to 2 weeks.

Quick notes: Zesting oranges and lemons is not as easy as it looks. I watched 15 youtube videos to see if someone out there had a good solution but they all say the same thing- and most of them are so perky (even the guys) they made me gag. I’d suggest using a zester or even a vegetable peeler for the orange. They have so much natural oil that a microplane grater gets clogged and you end up with a pile of mush and orange oil all over your hands. Smells great but is a pain to clean up. A zester gives you long thin curls which you can chop smaller if you want or leave to the mixer.

The only other thing I’ll mention is that this batter is more like a dough; a very stiff dough which was a complete surprise to me. I checked the recipe twice to make sure I hadn’t left out a key liquid! It is so firm you could use your hand to form the balls for the muffin tin. I stuck with spoons but you will want to press the dough into the tins so there are no air spaces in the bottom.

So get into the kitchen while we’re still stuck in the isn’t-it-spring-yet doldrums and make a batch of these bright light muffins. Then sit back and relax with a treat and a nice cup of tea for a mid-afternoon break. For me I like Earl Grey decaf loose leaf tea from Adagio.