I love this doughnut muffin recipe from King Arthur Flour because not only does it leave itself open to adaptation, but it pretty much encourages it. I used it as a jumping off point to make orange donut muffins and I have to say that when you factor everything into the delicious recipe equation, I love it at least as much as I love orange yeast rolls. You start with a recipe for a perfectly vanilla, slightly crumbly muffin that is reminiscent of cake donuts, and then you can add whatever suits your fancy.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Muffins
- Butter – Use real butter.
- Vegetable oil
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Orange zest
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Table salt
- Vanilla
- Orange extract – Optional.
- All-purpose flour
- Buttermilk
Glaze
- Butter
- Orange zest
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Buttermilk Orange Donut Muffins
- Line a muffin tin with liners. I usually get about 15 muffins.
- Zest the orange and set aside. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, oil, and sugars until smooth. Add the eggs and orange zest and beat until smooth. Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour, mixing completely after each addition.
- Scoop the batter into the lined muffin tins (I used a 1/4 cup cookie/ice cream scoop and it worked perfectly) and bake.
- When the muffins are cool, melt a little butter in a small mixing bowl. Add the zest of another orange. Slowly whisk in some powdered sugar, beating thoroughly to eliminate any lumps. When you’ve added 1 cup of powdered sugar, it should look like moist frosting. Whisk in a few tablespoons of buttermilk until a smooth glaze consistency is reached.
- Grab each cooled muffin by the bottom and dip it into the glaze. Allow the glaze to set up before serving (or don’t…we’re talking about glazed donut-like things here…it’s hard to go wrong). Makes 12-15 muffins.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store cooled muffins in an airtight container and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Other flavors: lemon or cinnamon sugar would be delicious here!
- If you need a gluten free version, King Arthur Flour says to simply substitute their gluten free flour blend for the all-purpose flour.
Buttermilk Orange Donut Muffins
The classic flavors of an orange roll come together with the rich texture of a cake donut and the ease of a quick bread in these delightfully sweet muffins.
Servings muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs large
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon orange extract optional
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose white flour lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with the back of a knife
- 1 cup buttermilk
Glaze
- ¼ cup butter melted
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Muffins
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a muffin tin (recipe yields 15 standard-size muffins, so plan accordingly) with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Zest the orange and set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, oil, and sugars until smooth. Add the eggs and orange rind and beat until smooth.
- Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla (and orange extract, if using) and beat until smooth. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour, mixing completely after each addition.
- Scoop the batter into the lined muffin tins (I used a ¼ cup cookie/ice cream scoop and it worked perfectly).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes or until the muffins are golden on top. Remove from oven and cool completely on cooling racks.
Glaze
- When the muffins are cool, melt ¼ cup butter in a small mixing bowl. Add the zest of another orange. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time, beating thoroughly to eliminate any lumps. When you've added 1 cup of powdered sugar, it should look like moist frosting. Whisk in a few tablespoons of buttermilk until a smooth glaze consistency is reached.
- Grab each cooled muffin by the bottom and dip it into the glaze. Allow the glaze to set up before serving.
Notes
-
- Store cooled muffins in an airtight container and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
-
- Other flavors: lemon or cinnamon sugar would be delicious here!
-
- If you need a gluten free version, King Arthur Flour says to simply substitute their gluten free flour blend for the all-purpose flour.
Nutrition
Calories: 181kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 40mg, Sodium: 252mg, Potassium: 39mg, Fiber: 0.001g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 247IU, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 0.2mg
Calories: 181kcal
Cost: $5
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Questions & Reviews
I have fresh oranges just picked off the tree and couldn’t wait to make these muffins. I had some trouble with the glaze, though. The buttermilk curdled it. I used it anyway and it didn’t affect the flavor but it didn’t look all smooth like glaze should. Did I add too much? Or should I just have added some orange juice to the zest and butter? Thanks for all you do.
Weight Watcher Points = 7 pp+ for one (We have extra weekly points so that we can enjoy things like this. 🙂 )
I made these on Saturday morning for the family. They were wonderful, and everyone loved them. There were no leftovers!
Yum! Made these today, with a few variations. What a great recipe! I cut out the white sugar, and added a little orange juice. Super delicious, even without the glaze! And my almost toddler LOVES them. Definitely saving this and making again!
Made these last night for Easter morning…all was well until I smelled burning about 11 minutes into baking. I quickly turned the temp down to 400 and let them finish baking because the tops were not done yet. They still tasted great this morning…I did nuke it for about 10 seconds. Muffin tops are my favorite part anyway! In the future I would bake them at 400 the whole time and I’m sure they would be fine. Thanks for all the great recipes…I love your blog and appreciate your hard work.
Made these this morning, they were PERFECT. So yummy. I did not use the additional orange extract and while it might have been good I really enjoyed the subtle orange flavor. I got exactly 15 with my 1/4 cup scoop.
Oh yummy! I want to make these!! I have never put orange in my muffins, but I think I need to try!
I just made these this morning. They are amazing!!! Thank you.
Just made these and they were a huge hit with my family. Delicious! I doubled the recipe and got 44 muffins but that may be a high altitude thing (6500 ft).
Thank you!
Yeah went to the store to this morning to buy some orange Rhodes rolls since the orange rolls seemed too daunting in my pregnant state. But lo and behold… They were out. This recipe is the answer to my morning frustrations! Thank you!!