Sweet and tangy. Simple yet sophisticated – Sunday morning & Friday night.

That was just a few words that described those refreshing (and pretty) summer muffins that are, straightforward – enjoyed more by adults than kids. Strong flavor and aftertaste of olive oil is what makes them insanely delicious, irresistible, and kind of adult-ish. Your taste buds must know how to appreciate a strong flavor and aftertaste of pure virgin olive oil in combination with tangy orange and lemon. Saying that, excellent quality of extra virgin olive oil and fresh, pure orange juice (can be from the store in case you don’t feel like squeezing oranges 🙂 will guarantee the most luscious result.

If you want to elevate those muffins to a fancy cocktail night treat, don’t hesitate to add a shot or two of a quality orange liqueur and surprise your guests with a treat of the night. If you decide to use more liqueur than stated in the recipe, reduce the amount of other liquids proportionally.

The best thing about those muffins is that they can be made into a really sophisticated dessert (for example with layers of mascarpone cream and rosemary sprigs) while the whole preparation will take you no more than 15 minutes. Just mix dries with wets and bake. Who’s ready to try them? I will be happy if you let me know how you liked them and what occasion you baked them for in the comments below.

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INGREDIENTS

160g Extra Virgin Olive Oil

140g Whole Milk

80g Orange Juice

10g Orange Liqueur (optional)

10g Orange or Lime Zest

2 Teaspoons Lime Juice

2 Eggs, whole

150g Brown Sugar 

160g AP Flour

2g Baking Soda 

2g Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt 

♥

 Decoration 

Rosemary Sprigs

Powdered Sugar & Lime Juice (optional)

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METHOD

1. On a medium speed whisk together all wet ingredients until well combined (olive oil, milk, orange juice, orange liqueur, lime zest, lime juice and eggs)
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl (sugar, flour, baking soda & powder and salt). Now sift dries into wets in two additions and mix until well incorporated with no clumps in the batter. As always, do not overmix
3. Pour the batter into the muffin cups (or into a small loaf pan if you’d like to get an orange loaf) and bake for some 25-35 minutes on 180°C/350°F. Test if your muffins are ready with a skewer inserted in the center and let them cool down
4. I finished my muffins with a paste made from a couple of teaspoons of lime juice mixed with powdered sugar and topped with some rosemary sprigs. Lovely and delicious

Dobrú chuť,
Lenka