Joanne's Jelly Donut Muffins with Orange-Cranberry Filling

Most of the time I let other bloggers's ideas mix and mingle in my brain for a while before I put them into action. However, there are some days I see a new recipe and have to make it right there and then. This usually happens when Joanne posts on Eats Well With Others, as it did today with her recipe for Jelly Donut Muffins with Ginger Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce Filling.

Wow, that's a mouthful of a title. Just like my mouth is full of muffin right now.

The one thing standing between me and bites of warm sugary goodness was my dislike of all things pomegranate. I can't explain why I have such an aversion to the innocuous fruit...because the flavor is too mild? Because pomegranate derivatives are usually expensive? Because I have an irrational fear that eating the celebrated seeds will trap me in the underworld for half the year? (Oh, wait, moving to Indiana already did that).

In any case, not only do I not like pomegranate juice, I don't have any. And if you've been reading this blog long enough, you'll know I'm lazy. So I improvised.

Jelly Donut Muffins with Orange-Cranberry Filling
Sauce:
-1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
-1/2 cup orange juice
Muffins:
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 egg
-1 1.2 cup white whole wheat flour
-2 tsp baking powder
-pinch salt
-sprinkling nutmeg
-1/4 cup canola oil
-3/4 cup light vanilla soy milk

At least an hour before you intend to make the muffins, combine the dried cranberries and orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then put over low heat until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the cranberries are plump and soft (I think this took about an hour, but I was doing schoolwork and didn't count). Put the cranberries and juice into a blender and whir until mushy and jelly-like.


Combine the muffin ingredients in the usual manner (wets, dries, stir...you get the idea). Line a 12-cup muffin tin (or don't, per personal preference) and lightly spray with oil. Spoon a little batter into each cup, then top with a dollop of the orange-cranberry sauce. Cover the jelly with more batter. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.


At this point, Joanne dipped her muffins in butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar, but as aforementioned I am lazy and did not feel like melting butter and cleaning the bowl afterwards. So I used my handy dandy spray oil instead.



Loverly.


The only problem with these muffins is that the cranberry-orange filling is very tart and strong, and the muffin sort of disappears into the background. Next time I'll consider substituting a little orange juice in for the soy milk, adding some ginger to the batter, or using some butter instead of canola oil to give the muffin a more distinctive flavor.

I had some sauce left over that I was afraid to put in the tins, because there's nothing more aggravating than a sticky over-filled muffin. I think it will go excellently with ice cream, when Kroger gets its act together and puts Breyers on a real sale instead of slipping a yellow sale sticker on the shelf shouting "$4.99!" when it's regularly $5.20. I take my previous sentiment back...that's infinitely more annoying than an over-filled muffin.