Orange Blueberry Muffins

Goooood Morning everyone! After a whole nine hours of sleep last night, I woke up feeling like a superstar today. No dark circles, no I-need-a-morning-coffee fatigue, just a whole lot of well-rested energy! For a busy, working-mom, this is a rarity that I MUST take advantage of.

So, to keep the morning vibes lifted and vibrant, I’m whipping up a batch of my latest breakfast obsession: Orange Blueberry Muffins with a delicious streusel topping. If I didn’t rope you in with just the name, let me further convince you that you need these muffins in your life.

Perks and Highlights of My Orange Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Tender, bright and unique, these muffins are everything delicious about breakfast wrapped in one small treat! Similar to blueberries, oranges have a sweet-tart taste. When combined and elevated with a sugary streusel topping, these two fruity flavors make for something you’ve never had before.

So, what do you say we blast the music, dance and bake our way into one fabulous day?

Ingredients

To develop this recipe, I adapted my absolute favorite Blueberry Muffins from the AllRecipes website. By changing some of the liquid ratios and adding in orange juice and zest, I introduced a refreshing change. I also added a nice crumble topping which really took this over the top! Seriously, who doesn’t love a crumble topping?

Here’s what I used to make the magic happen:

• Blueberries add tart, juicy bursts of flavor. Be sure to use rinsed, ripe and plump berries.
• Orange Juice & Zest layer in a citrusy, bright flavor. Play with the amount of zest used to determine how “orangey” you want these muffins to be.
• Sour Cream adds moisture and a delightful tang.
• Oil adds tenderness and prevents the flour from developing too much gluten.
• Sugar sweetens the muffins slightly. Granulated, cane or even coconut sugar work here!
• Eggs bind the muffins together.
• Vanilla Extract is floral and aromatic which plays well with the fruit.
• Baking Soda is the leavening agent for the muffins and makes them rise.
• All Purpose Flour is the main structure for the muffin. To ensure a super tender result, sift beforehand. If gluten free, replace with a good gluten-free baking blend.
• Salt rounds out the flavors of the muffin. Use kosher salt.
• Brown Sugar is caramel-like which makes for a crisp, deeply-flavored muffin top. Dark brown or turbinado sugar can also work!
• Cold Butter is key for a perfectly buttery crumble topping! I suggest cubing the butter and freezing until you’re ready to work with it.

How to Make Orange Blueberry Muffins

Step 1: Muffin Batter Magic First thing’s first, preheat your oven to 350 degrees like it’s sunbathing weather in there. Prep your muffin pan with some grease or play it cool and line them with muffin liners. Now, the fun part – in a big ol’ bowl, unite the eggs, sugar, oil, sour cream, orange juice, and vanilla. Whisk it like you mean it until well combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and that all-important orange zest. It’s all about that citrusy sunshine, baby! Bring the wet and dry ingredients together and whisk gently. Remember, we’re looking for a sweet harmony, not a tough love, so don’t overmix. Then, like the grand finale, fold in the blueberries with the grace of a maestro. Scoop that tantalizing batter into the muffin cups, and you’re one step closer to muffin euphoria.

Step 2: Crumb Topping Crescendo Now, let’s jazz things up with a crumb topping that’s the talk of the town. Take cold butter, sugar, and flour, then cut and mix until you’ve got what looks like delicious crumbs. Pro tip: this is where you get down and dirty and use a fork or your hands. Sprinkle this heavenly concoction over your muffins like the first snowfall of winter.

Step 3: Baking & Beyond Pop those beauties into the oven and bake for 23-25 minutes. It’s not just baking; it’s an aroma performance of citrus and sweet blueberries in your kitchen. Once done, give them a breather in the pan for about 10 minutes, then release onto a wire rack to cool. But who are we kidding? You’ll be snagging a bite long before they’ve completely cooled down, and guess what? That’s just perfect!

Tips and Tricks

I love a good muffin but, y’all, they can be hard to come across. How many times have you bitten into a dry, needs-too-much-butter hockey puck? Or a dense yet still somehow undercooked rock? Been there, not gonna do that today!

Here are a few ways to guarantee moist, tender and flavorful muffin every single time:

Choose the Right Liquid Fat

Just about any liquid fat can be used for these muffins, however, fat that stays at room temperature will produce muffins that stay tender when cooled. Vegetable, canola and olive oil all work! I rotate my choice based on what I have on hand.

Make them Vegan

These muffins can easily be made vegan! Substitute the egg for ¼ cup applesauce or mashed banana. Use a vegan sour cream substitute of your choice or replace it with coconut milk. I suggest adding a ½ tbsp of lemon juice for every ½ cup of coconut milk (to mimic that sourness).  

Use an Ice Cream Scoop

Try using a cookie or ice cream scooper to transfer your mixture into muffin cups. I find that this method makes for a little more ease and a lot less mess.

Storage of Leftover Muffins

If using a standard-sized muffin pan, this recipe makes for an even dozen muffins. In my house, that many muffins don’t last very long but, on the occasion that I have extras, I make sure to store them properly.

Store muffins in a sealed container or resealable plastic bag, in a single layer. Line the bottom of the container or bag with a sheet of paper towel, then cover the top of the muffins with another sheet of paper towel. Muffins are best eaten within four days.

More than four days? Head for the freezer. Stored in a resealable freezer bag or individually wrapped in saran, muffins will keep in the freezer for up to three months.

When ready to eat, allow the muffins to come to room temperature (on the counter) and gently warm them in the oven before serving.

My Favorite Muffins

My version of a good morning? One that starts with cozy pajamas, a hot cup of coffee and a fresh, warm muffin! Did I mention the spread of creamy, salty butter? Too good to be true.

This week, start your morning like mine and stir up one of my BEST batters:

• Simple Corn Muffins
• Blueberry Streusel Muffins

And Some Great Blueberry Recipes

If you love all things blueberry for breakfast, you will love my Blueberry Orange Bundt Cake, Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake, Blueberry Lemon Biscuits, Blueberry Pancakes, Perfect Blueberry Glazed Donuts and Blueberry Waffles!

Orange Blueberry Muffins

Made with tart, juicy blueberries and zippy orange juice, then topped with a buttery streusel topping, these Orange Blueberry make for a bright start to any morning!

4.91 from 11 votes

Print Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Chill Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

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Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Course: Bread, Breakfast

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

For the Muffin Batter

• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2/3 cup oil I used canola
• ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream room temperature
• ▢ 1/2 cup orange juice
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ zest of 1-2 oranges play with this until you get the right about of orange flavor you prefer
• ▢ 1 cup blueberries up to 1 1/2 cups

For the Crumb Topping

• ▢ 4 tbsp salted or unsalted COLD butter if using unsalted, I always add a pinch of salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the Muffin Batter

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin pan or add muffin liners to pan.
• In a large bowl, add eggs, sugar, oil, sour cream, orange juice and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
• In another bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt and zest together.
• Add the flour ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until combined but do not over mix (you don’t want tough muffins, do you?).
• Carefully fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into muffin cups.

For the Crumb Topping

• Cut the cold butter into the sugar and flour until it resembles crumbs (this can be done with a fork or even with your hands).
• Sprinkle this mixture over the muffins.
• Bake 23-25 minutes.
• Remove muffins from the oven. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then release from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Notes

Note on bake time: I started checking the oven around 17 minutes. Make sure to check your muffins around the 20-21 minute mark since ovens tend to misbehave sometimes. 

Choose the Right Liquid Fat
Just about any liquid fat can be used for these muffins, however, fat that stays at room temperature will produce muffins that stay tender when cooled. Vegetable, canola and olive oil all work! I rotate my choice based on what I have on hand.

Make them Vegan
These muffins can easily be made vegan! Substitute the egg for ¼ cup applesauce or mashed banana. Use a vegan sour cream substitute of your choice or replace it with coconut milk. I suggest adding a ½ tbsp of lemon juice for every ½ cup of coconut milk (to mimic that sourness).

Use an Ice Cream Scoop
Try using a cookie or ice cream scooper to transfer your mixture into muffin cups. I find that this method makes for a little more ease and a lot less mess.

Nutrition

Calories: 391kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 469mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 273IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg

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