Tangerine Muffins with Sea Salt
Tangerine Muffins with Flaked Sea Salt. So there’s a story behind these. But it has nothing to do with muffins. Instead, the inspiration for this recipe came from my boyfriend, Jon. And kombucha. Yep. You read that right. So here’s the thing… Jon and I both really love kombucha. We either make it or buy it by the growler because we drink it almost every day. Back when we lived in Arkansas, Jon found a brand out of Austin, Texas that made a tangerine sea salt kombucha. Well. Jon fell in love with this particular kombucha flavor. It became the only kombucha he drank. It was tasty and all… But to this day, I still don’t understand the undying love he had for tangerine sea salt kombucha. But to Jon, it was perfect.
Fast forward to living back in Colorado: Not only can Jon not find that brand of kombucha here in the west, he can’t find that flavor anywhere either. He’s tried to make his own tangerine sea salt kombucha. It was good. But it just wasn’t quite the same. So in Jon’s quest to find anything tangerine sea salt flavored, and during a random conversation one night, I expressed that I was having recipe developers block and needed some inspiration for a unique muffin recipe. And that’s when Jon, somewhat jokingly (although I don’t think he was actually joking), exclaimed TANGERINE SEA SALT! I laughed. Then thought to myself: “Huh, that might actually be kinda good.” And from that, these Tangerine Sea Salt Muffins were born.
When I sat down to write out this recipe, I knew I wanted the muffins to be just a little sweet, just a little salty, and a lot tangerine-y. There’s zest and freshly squeezed juice in the muffin. But that wasn’t quite enough. I wanted something bright and summery. So I created an extract made with fresh juice to brush over the top and a citrus infused sugar to dip the muffins in before adding the final touch of flaked sea salt. Yep. These are good. Oh! And, I’ve tried them with Valencia oranges as well. Because as it turns out, tangerines can be hard to find at times. Oranges give a slightly different flavor but the end result is still fantastic!
Eat well and enjoy!
There is a good amount of prep involved in these muffins but it is so worth it! The extra steps are easy - making a candied citrus rind and citrus extract - they just take some time to "cure." But once these are are done, the muffins themselves are so easy and delicious! Plus, you can use the left over citrus rind and extract for other desserts and even cocktails or mocktails!
- 2 cup flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp grated tangerine or orange zest (2 tangerines or small oranges*)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large eggs
- 1/2 cup coconut oil or butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3/4 cup whole milk plain yoghurt
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed tangerine or orange juice (3 to 4 tangerines or small oranges*)
- 3 tsp Vanilla
- 3 tbsp melted butter for brushing
- Flaked sea salt for garnish
- 3 tangerines or small oranges*
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cup cold water
- 2 tangerines or small oranges*
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
Wash the tangerines or oranges (do not use hand or dish soap) and peel off all of the zest using a vegetable peeler, making sure not to get the white pith. Mix the rind and sugar in a small/medium glass or ceramic bowl with a lid. Cover and let sit at room temperature at least overnight, or up to 24 hours. Set aside.
There will be more sugar than you need for this recipe but this mixture will last quite awhile on the counter as long as you keep it covered. Both the sugar and the rinds would work wonderfully as garnishes for other recipes such as spiced muffins, sweet breads, and cocktail sugar rims.
For the citrus extract, wash the tangerines or oranges (do not use hand or dish soap) and peel off all of the zest using a vegetable peeler. Add the zest to a bowl and cover with sugar. Toss to combine. Cover and let sit overnight, or up to 24 hours.
Add the water to a small/medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn off the heat and pour the tangerine/sugar mixture into the hot water. Stir and let sit until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.
Pour through a fine mesh strainer, or a few layers of cheesecloth, back into the original bowl. Discard the zest. Let the extract cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. There will be more extract than you need for this recipe but this mixture will last quite awhile stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The leftover extract would work great for cocktails and future desserts!
Now that you have the sugar topping and extract ready to go, it’s time to make the muffins! Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with very lightly greased or non-stick muffin cups.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and citrus zest. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until well combined. While whisking constantly, slowly pour in the melted coconut oil or butter – Constantly whisking while slowly pouring in the warm oil or butter will prevent the eggs from starting to scramble. Next, whisk in the yoghurt, juice, and vanilla until well combined. Add in the flour mixture and gently fold in until well combined – Gently folding the flour mixture in helps the muffins from becoming tough.
Fill baking cups ¾ of the way full (about 2 heaping tablespoons batter for a standard muffin pan). Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Once the muffins are cool enough to handle, transfer to a baking rack to let cool completely.
When the muffins are cooled, brush the top of each muffin with some of the citrus extract. Let sit for 10 minutes so that the extract can soak into the muffin.
Meanwhile, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Set up a “dipping station” with the bowl of melted butter and a shallow bowl filled with the citrus sugar (rind removed and set aside). After the muffins have set for 10 minutes, dip each muffin into the melted butter and then into the citrus sugar, making sure to coat the top of the muffin well. After all muffins have been dipped, sprinkle each with a few flakes of sea salt and serve!
- *Because this recipe uses so much of the citrus rind – And you’re essentially extracting all of the oils from the rind – I high recommend buying organic tangerines or oranges if you can. Organic citrus won’t have pesticides or wax residing on the rind. Also, make sure you wash the tangerines or oranges using just hot water or a produce-friendly solution such as water and vinegar and rinse well. Do not use hand or dish soap as it can soak into the rind.