Cranberry-Orange Marmalade Muffins

 I'll be honest with you all, when I found out that the new GYCO challenge from White Lights on Wednesday and Four Marrs and One Venus was all about cranberries, I was a little nervous. Cranberries aren't really my thing. In fact I can't even remember the last time I ate something with cranberries in it. But since I don't like to turn down a challenge, I decided to do a little research and try out a muffin recipe. I feel like you can't go wrong with muffins, they're just one of those things you can't mess up. So I adapted a recipe, whipped it up and popped a pan into the oven. I was a bit nervous about the wet looking texture of them, but once they cooled and I glazed them, they turned out just fine! These muffins have a subtle orange flavor to them with flecks of zest and peel from the marmalade. The cranberries add a pop of tartness and zing. They're perfect for the season and will definitely brighten up your day!

Cranberry-Orange Marmalade Muffins
Ingredients
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. + 2 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. (½ stick) butter, melted
2 eggs
¼ c. sour cream, room temperature
¾ c. whole milk, room temperature
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Zest of 1 orange
2 tsp. orange extract
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
¼ c. orange marmalade (I used Smucker's)
1½ c. fresh cranberries

Orange juice glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. orange juice
½ tsp. orange zest (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or line two muffin tins. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine butter, sugar, sour cream, and milk. Beat until smooth. Add vanilla bean paste, orange extract, and orange zest. Add one egg at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
4. Remove bowl from stand and gently fold in marmalade and cranberries, do not over-mix. Scoop batter into prepared pans filling each ¾ of the way full (be careful not to overfill). Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the tops and edges begin to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping in glaze (about 20 minutes).
5. While muffins are cooling, prepare the glaze by combining the orange juice, powdered sugar and zest in a small bowl. Whisk to combine or until the mixture is smooth and no powdered sugar lumps remain. Dip each cooled muffin into the glaze, keeping them upside down and swirling them to remove any excess glaze (this will prevent them from dripping). Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Adapted from Back In The Day Bakery, Cranberry-Orange Muffins | Makes approximately 16 muffins