Real Food Recipe: Orange Muffins

Otherwise known as: Oooops, I Liquified My Mayonnaise. I make my own mayonnaise. Why? Because the mayo you buy in the store is made with rancid oil, even the expensive health food kind. Eeeeeeeew! Right? Ever notice that mayo has a distinct aroma and taste and people either love mayo or hate it. Well, that signature mayo smell and taste is actually comes from the rancid oil. Yuck. I am not feeding that to my family.

Making homemade mayo is a cinch and another great way to get good fats and eggs into your family. All you need to make mayonnaise is a one cup of a quality oil like olive or sunflower (not safflower), and an egg. I prefer sunflower oil as it has a neutral flavor better suited to salads and sandwiches.

Whisk the egg until totally blended and then while whisking, slowly add the oil in a very thin, steady stream. In a few short minutes you will have a beautiful, truly healthy mayonnaise, also known as aioli (eye-o-lee). Add any range of sea salts, spices or herbs for a delicious spread on sandwiches, crackers or even a dip for veggies.

Now, I use my Vita-Mix to make my mayo. If I get distracted from watching the process, things go south. Even 5-10 seconds too long in the Vita-Mix and thick mayo liquifies. No amount of whisking or blending or silently cursing the mayo will make it thick again. 

Fortunately, you can avoid this catastrophe by hand mixing. So why do I use my Vita-Mix, you ask? I make large batches of mayo that tend to slop out of the bowl when I'm whisking. The Vita-Mix (usually) is the better choice for my needs.

So what to do when I start day-dreaming and liquefy my mayonnaise? I hate waste in the kitchen. Waste is not good stewardship and it's also not good for the budget. So what to do with that high quality oil and pastured eggs? Bake something of course! Nearly every baked good calls for fat and eggs. You could really go anywhere with this: muffins, cakes, cookies, brownies. Whichever confection your family loves the most.

I had a surplus of oranges, a cold November afternoon and a family clamoring for a treat. This recipe was born.

These muffins are delicious. Moist, orange-y, with a fine crumb like a sugar cookie.

Orange Muffins
 
Makes 18 muffins

Double batch of liquified mayonnaise OR
2 pastured eggs
1 1/2 cups of sunflower oil 
juice of one organic orange (around 1/4 cup)
zest of one organic orange (thoroughly scrubbed) (TIP: add more zest if you made an olive oil mayo. The zest will mask it.)
1/2 teaspoon real almond extract
1 tablespoon Triple Sec (optional, but really adds an extra something)
3/4 cup sucanat sugar
1 3/4 cup sprouted flour
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit.

If you didn't accidentally liquify your mayonnaise, at this point you want to whip your eggs and oil until they don't separate as soon as you stop mixing. 

Toss in the orange juice, orange zest, almond extract, Triple Sec and sucanat. Combine thoroughly.

Sift dry ingredients together. Add to wet ingredients while stirring slowly. Only mix 25-35 strokes. Lumps are fine, even big ones. If you over-mix muffin batter, your muffins will be tough and heavy.

Fill muffin tins 1/2 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean.

Devour these hot and slathered in raw butter, with a glass of cold, raw milk. Rejoice that your mayonnaise making didn't turn out, because now you have a yummy treat you can feel good about eating.

These muffins keep well and freeze well, so they are a good option to keep around for a quick snack. They would also make a fabulous addition to a party, especially with some soaked, slivered almonds added to the batter.

Enjoy!

I am joining the Healthy Home Economist for Monday Mania with this recipe.