Cream Cheese-Stuffed, Streusel-Topped, Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins

A few years ago, I started hosting a Christmas brunch for my family every Christmas. It's always so much fun, and I try to keep the menu very simple so it doesn't become stressful. I make a Crock pot breakfast casserole and some muffins, and my sister brings her French toast casserole. I serve things I can make ahead of time, and never have I been more glad about that than last year.

I can't remember if I mentioned it here, but last Christmas Eve, I was struck with a horrible, terrible, no-good stomach bug. It was so awful. I was stuck at home in bed, feeling miserable, while my family was celebrating without me. Thankfully, I'd prepared everything for our brunch the next morning earlier in the day before I got sick, so I didn't have to cancel it. I didn't feel like eating much on Christmas morning, but I was so happy to just be with my family at that point!

Sorry for talking about sickness in a post about food, but all of that was to say: I made these muffins for Christmas brunch last year, and they were ah-mazing. Like seriously, seriously delicious. As I mentioned, I like to keep things easy for this particular celebration, so these muffins start with boxed mix that is jazzed up with the additions of a sweetened cream cheese filling and a delectable orange-pecan streusel. I don't typically bake muffins from a box, but I was so surprised by how well these came out and how fresh they tasted. They're the perfect balance of sweet and tart and such a festive way to start Christmas morning...or any morning, really.

Cream Cheese-Stuffed, Streusel-Topped, Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins

slightly adapted from StoneGable

For the muffins:

 

1 box cranberry-orange muffin mix (I used Krusteaz Light)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon orange zest

For the filling:

 

8 ounces cream cheese

3 tablespoons confectioners sugar

1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest

For the streusel:

1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest 

1. Preheat oven according to muffin mix recipe. Spray two 24-cup mini muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray. Mix muffin recipe as directed, adding vanilla and orange zest. 

2. In a seperate bowl, add all filling ingredients and beat on high with a mixer for 1 minute. 

3. In a third bowl, mix all topping ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork. The butter should be well-incorporated and the topping should be crumbly. 

4. Add a tablespoon of the muffin batter to each mini muffin cup (about half full). Add 1 teaspoon of the filling to the center of the muffin batter in the cups. Top with another tablespoon of the muffin batter. Top each muffin with crumb topping. 

5. Bake according to box directions, minus about 5 minutes for mini muffins. When done, cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Take muffins out of pan and let cool completely.

 

Orange BBQ Chicken

I ask you, who doesn’t love a delicious piece of barbecued chicken, cooked to smoky perfection on the grill? The recipe I’m sharing today puts a spin on traditional BBQ chicken by adding the flavors of orange and honey. It’s smoky, sweet, tangy perfection.

The boys and I liked this way more than Joe did, to be completely honest. He’s not a huge fan of citrus in savory dishes (or lemon in just about anything, including sweets, because he’s insane), so he thought this was way too orange-y. The boys and I loved it, though, and I will definitely be making it again.

Orange BBQ Chicken
adapted from Sweet Peas and Pumpkins

Juice of 2 oranges (about 1/3 cup)
Zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

1. In a glass 9 x 13 dish or large bowl, mix all ingredients except the chicken. Stir well to fully combine. Add the chicken and move around in the dish or bowl to ensure total coating. Marinate at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

2. Preheat indoor or outdoor grill. Cook chicken until completely cooked through, brushing with additional marinade while grilling.

Orange Dreamsicle Smoothies

It’s pretty ironic that I’m sharing this refreshing summery smoothie with you today, since the weather set records this week for being the coldest on record for May in Ohio. We’ve been dealing with temperatures in the 40s all week, and I’m craving sunshine and warm weather like you wouldn’t believe.

I actually made these smoothies back in the beginning of April, when our part of the state was experiencing record high temperatures (Ohio weather is so weird and frustrating sometimes). They were such a refreshing treat for us after an afternoon spent outside playing and doing yard work. They taste exactly like dreamsicles – sweet, tangy, creamy and cool. I’ll be making these smoothies for us a lot!

Orange Dreamsicle Smoothies
adapted from Taste of Home

1 cup milk
1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, undrained
1 6-ounce container orange yogurt
Ice cubes
Sweetened whipped cream

In a blender, combine the milk, oranges, and yogurt until well-blended. Add ice cubes until you reach desired slushiness (we like ours pretty frosty). Pour into glasses and top each glass with a dollop of whipped cream.

Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Muffins

That’s right: another muffin recipe. What can I say? Muffins are one of my absolute favorite things to bake. They’re so simple and delicious and, even if they’re very sweet, you can totally get away with having them for breakfast -- which is what I’ve been doing with this particular batch for the last week or so.

The flavors of cranberry, orange, and white chocolate go so well together. In these muffins, the tart cranberries, bright oranges, and sweet white chocolate combine to make a flavorful, moist, perfectly balanced muffin. They’d be perfect for brunch on Christmas Day!

Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Muffins
adapted from Allrecipes

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins or line them with paper liners.

2. Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add orange juice, vanilla, and eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Gradually add to wet ingredients. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips.

4. Pour into muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes or until brown. (Yield: 14 to 18 muffins)

Mandarin Orange Muffins

If you asked my son Andrew what his very favorite food in the world is, I know exactly what he'd tell you: mandarin oranges. Well, okay, he'd probably say "na nas" because that's what he calls them, but you know what I mean. He loves mandarin oranges, which really comes as no surprise to me since I loved them as a kid too. I remember being a little girl, sitting at the kitchen table and eating them with my fingers right out of the can. And then slurping all of the delicious syrup off of my fingers. It's so fun to watch my little boy do exactly the same thing (except we are more civilized than my parents were, apparently, and put his oranges in a bowl first).

When I happened across this recipe, I knew I had to make these for Andrew. Unsurprisingly, these muffins were a huge hit with him. I really liked them, too, especially the combination of cinnamon and citrus. When I make these again (and oh, I will; Andrew insists) I'll use less almond extract, because I thought the almond was just a little bit too overpowering. These muffins were incredibly moist and not too sweet, and they were absolutely delicious with a bit of butter spread across the top. Definitely Andrew -- and Mama! -- approved.

Mandarin Orange Muffins
source: slightly adapted from Allrecipes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained and diced

1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk and extract. Stir into crumb mixture just until moistened. Fold in oranges.

2. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

3. Combine 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over muffins.

Sour Cream-Orange Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel

In celebration of the ASPCA's "Go Orange for Animals" day on April 7, my office held an orange-themed bake sale, with 100% of the proceeds going to the ASPCA as they work to prevent animal cruelty. Rather than making something that was actually orange-colored, I decided to make this orange-flavored coffee cake. This was an amazing coffee cake! The texture was dense but not heavy, and it had the perfect amount of orange flavor. I got lots of compliments and more than one request for the recipe, which I think is always a good sign.

The recipe listed below is my modified version of the original, which also called for chocolate in the streusel topping. I'm not a fan of the chocolate-orange combo, so I left it out. You could probably halve the streusel topping itself, because I had a lot left over, and I still felt like the cake had plenty. I really think you should make this right now. Seriously, why are you still reading? Go make this!

(Oh, one more thing before you go: You should really go read more about Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month and maybe even organize something in your own community to raise awareness!)

Sour Cream-Orange Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel
Source: adapted from Epicurious

For the streusel:
1 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled salted butter, diced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

For the cake:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/3 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1. Whisk brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture holds together in small, moist clumps. Mix in pecans and orange peel and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan.

3. Sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended and smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then orange peel and vanilla extract. Mix in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with sour cream in 3 additions. Mix in orange juice.

4. Spread half of batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Drop remaining batter over by heaping tablespoonfuls; carefully spread batter to make even layer. Sprinkle with remaining streusel.

5. Bake cake 30 minutes. Lay sheet of foil loosely over pan to keep topping from browning too quickly. Continue baking until tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes longer (mine only took an additional 25 minutes; I think it depends on your oven). Remove foil.

6. Cool cake in pan on rack 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.