Recipe: Cranberry Orange Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cranberry Orange Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting
rec.crafts.textiles.quilting/Sandi in New Westminster B.C.(2001)
Makes 12 large or 16 medium muffins or 36 mini muffins

The original recipe is in the "Company's Coming" "Muffins & More book. It is called Orange Muffin and is on page 28. The original recipe calls for chopped dates. Being me, I can never stick to a recipe so here is my adaptation.

1 orange with peel cut up
1/2 cup orange juice [my second orange yielded 1/4c so i added water to make 1/2 cup]
1 1/2 cups fresh/frozen cranberries
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

Cut orange into 7 or 8 pieces; remove seeds. Combine orange pieces, cranberries and juice in blender. Puree, oh yeah I threw in the peel of the second orange also. Add egg and butter to blender. Blend. Pour into medium size bowl.

Measure flour, sugar, baking powder and soda into separate bowl. Mix thoroughly. Pour over the top of the orange mixture. Stir to combine. Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake in 400F [200C] oven for 20 minutes. I got about 36 mini-muffins and baked them closer to 15-18 minutes.

Remove from pans after 5 minutes standing time.

Cream Cheese Icing
Take approx. 1/3 of cream cheese brick. Add about 1 TBSP butter. Cream together. Pour some icing sugar into the mix. When it gets too thick for the beaters add some milk/cream to thin it a bit. If you have add 100% pure orange oil...hm 1/4 tsp??? I didn't measure. Maybe a bit less?1/8 tsp. Try a little, taste it, add some more...you've got the right amount.

When muffins are cool add a dab of cream cheese icing to the top. Sort of like a Hershey kiss swirl. More if you like, less if you don't.