Recipe: Tangerine Walnut Mini-Muffins

We drove out to our local home improvement store looking for plants one Friday evening, and I returned with a hunkering for a baked confection – since we didn’t have luck with the plants. We turned into the parking lot of our trusty local bakery to find they had temporarily closed the location for Covid and it would be a 20-mile drive to their other nearest location. It was 5 p.m. on a Friday. The chances of me driving any more were slim.

Being tired and craving something sweet, when I returned home, I thumbed through the pages of my old Better Homes & Gardens baking book, and looked for inspiration. A bowl of Ojai Pixie Tangerines stared at me, taunting: eat-healthy-healthy-healthy! The nut torte recipe looked easy, and I had made it many years before. The tangerines called still. So I altered the recipe by a little bit, to make something even more tasty.

This recipe, start to finish, was about 30 minutes. Cleanup was a breeze. That is what I love about this recipe - the assembly and clean-up is so minimal, that even on your busiest afternoon, you can throw this together. The mini muffins is my version of portion control.

And I ate the Tangerine while waiting for the mini muffins to bake. I dare you to eat just one.

Blender Walnut Mini Muffins

Makes 24 mini muffins

15 min prep, 15-18 min bake, 350’F

Ingredients

2 ½ cup walnuts

¾ cup sugar

4 eggs

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp shredded tangerine peel

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp freshly powdered cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

To decorate, optional:

Tangerine peel & sugar glaze

Method

Preheat oven to 350’F. Line the mini-muffin pan with liners. Set aside.

Mix the dry ingredients: the AP flour, shredded tangerine peel, fresh ginger, cinnamon, and baking powder – and set aside.

In a tall blender (like for smoothies), blend the sugar, and walnuts – until the mix is crumbly. Add the eggs and ‘blend’ for 30 seconds until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients to this mix, and blend quickly again, for another 30 seconds.

Pour into lined muffin cups. Alternately, use an ice-cream scoop for even portions (and fewer drips).

Bake time depends on size of oven & size of muffin. Mini muffins and smaller ovens need less time (18 mins), add a minute or two for larger ovens (20 mins). Bake until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool completely before decorating with sugar glaze and tangerine peel.

Adapted from a Better Homes & Garden Recipe for Nut Torte. Fresh ginger & Ojai Pixie Tangerines – courtesy Melissa’s Produce.