Fire House Orange Cranberry Nut Muffins
From Yankee Magazine
Quickbreads, Coffee Cakes Recipes
Yield: 18 to 24 muffins
Once or twice a year Jeannie and Dave McDermott drive from their home in Roeland Park, Kansas, to Maine, traveling through the mountains in Vermont and New Hampshire, then dropping down to the coast on U.S. Route 2. On their travels they discovered the Fire House Bakery in Norridgewock, Maine. Here's one of its specialties, which the McDermotts dream about on that long drive.
- 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 5 tablespoons softened butter
- 1-3/4 cups sugar plus additional sugar for sprinkling on top
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons orange extract
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup Craisins or dried cranberries
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin tins or line them with paper baking cups. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk until blended, then set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese and butter and mix until smooth. While mixing, add the sugar and beat well. Scrape the bowl and mix again, making sure all the sugar is blended in. With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and orange extract. Using a wooden spoon, alternately add in the milk and flour mixture, stirring by hand just enough to combine the ingredients. Stir in the walnuts and Craisins. (Do not overmix or the muffins will be tough.) Scoop the batter into the muffin tins, filling each cup about three-quarters full. Sprinkle the tops with additional sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched.
Reviews by Readers
I made these for a staff appreciation breakfast at my daughter's high school. After reading the "blurb" about how the couple HAD to stop and get these muffins on their trips to Maine, I thought that they had to be out of this world. Well, they did not live up to that expectation as far as I am concerned: they didn't even make it to Chicago!!!!! First of all, they used almost a whole bottle of orange extract at $3.79 a bottle and the orange flavor was not that pronounced. And I thought the flavor in general was very mild. One word about the recipe: This recipe DOES make the high end of the yield of 18-24 muffins AND each tin was filled almost completely TO THE TOP! To be safe, I would put a little bit of shortening or spray around the rims of each metal tin whether you are using paper muffin tins or putting the batter directly into the metal tins in the pan. This way they won't stick IF they bake over the top of the tins! – Reviewed by Gayle Figjatoerjilicz
Since the first time this recipe appeared in the Yankee Magazine I have been making it at Christmas time and sharing the muffins with friends. Everyone loves them as much as I do. – Reviewed by Terri Joslin
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