Anytime Orange Muffins

This orange muffin recipe is inspired by the cranberry-orange version sold at Costco, which Chef Shaina Loew-Banayan of Hudson, New York’s Cafe Mutton—one of our 10 Best New Restaurants of 2022—loved throughout their childhood. “Don’t be tempted to sprinkle demerara or some other fancy sugar on top of the muffins,” they implore. “That’s not the vibe.” Regular ol’ granulated sugar gives the tops a crackly surface that makes them deeply satisfying. 

Using freshly squeezed orange juice is a must. And though they’ve nixed the dried cranberries so that the citrus flavor can shine even brighter, Loew-Banayan rounds out the wet ingredients with vanilla and half-and-half to give these muffins a Creamsicle mood. Unlike many restaurants’ baked goods, these are a snap to make at home. That said, be sure to use paper liners in your muffin tin as they give the batter something to cling to as they rise, and grease the top of the tin with butter so that the oversized muffin tops don’t stick.

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Preheat oven to 375°. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Coat flat top of pan with unsalted butter to prevent sticking. Whisk 2⅓ cups (292 g) all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, mix 1 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest and 1¾ cups (350 g) sugar in a large bowl until combined and very fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high, add 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, and beat until combined, about 2 minutes. Add 2 large eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Beat in 1 tsp. vanilla extract.

Reduce mixer speed to medium-low and alternate adding ⅓ cup fresh orange juice, dry ingredients, and 1 cup half-and-half, one-third at a time, mixing until incorporated after each addition. Let batter sit at room temperature 10 minutes.