These tasty muffins are actually very simple to whip up and their citrus flavors make them perfect for summer. There’s something so delicious about fresh orange and raspberry together and this recipe marries them perfectly. When fruits are in season, we try and incorporate them into as many recipes as possible. Not to mention the raspberries create a beautiful effect when you bit into these. We find they are a great hostess gift and are best enjoyed with tea or coffee. If you heat them up and put some butter on them they are even more scrumptious.

Makes 25 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 + 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 3/4 cup white sugar, plus some extra for sprinkling

• 1 Tbsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. fine salt

• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

• 2 oranges

• 1+1/2 cups fresh raspberries (frozen)

• Optional: 3/4 cup chopped pecan nuts for crunch

Instructions

1. Make sure the middle rack in the oven is in the middle position before turning on the oven to 375 degrees F. Take out your muffin pans and line around 15 1/2-cup muffin cups with paper liners (depending on size of muffins you may need more or less)

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Whisk the oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla together in another bowl. Finely grate the zest from the oranges into the wet ingredients and add the juice from one orange.

3. Make a small hole in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients and raspberries (frozen) into the center. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together with a wooden spoon until the dry ingredients are moistened but still a bit lumpy (Do not over mix the batter). Divide the batter evenly among the muffin liners (about ¾ full) and sprinkle them with sugar (about 1/2 teaspoon per muffin).

4. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking. You’ll know they are ready when they are golden brown (and a toothpick or spaghetti noddle come out clean). Cool muffins in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the muffins out of the pan and cool on the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature (with or without butter).