Orange and Cardamom Muffin Recipe (2024)

Orange and Cardamom Muffins ~ delicately fragrant muffins flavored with bright orange zest and warm, spicy cardamom, this easy muffin recipe is unique and delicious!

For a quick, easy, comforting breakfast, nothing beats my homemade orange and cardamom muffin recipe!

Is anybody making muffins anymore? It seems like they’ve totally gone out of fashion, right? But every time I make a batch I’m reminded of why I love them. These orange and cardamom muffins bake up so nice and tall, with a sugary crust on top, how could you resist? I don’t know why I thought of combining citrus with cardamom, I don’t think I’ve done it on the blog before, but boy, it’s so perfect. Neither taste is overpowering but they blend beautifully. The aroma is especially great when they’re just out of the oven, Definitely going to use this combo again!

You know I love my one bowl no-mixer recipes

They make baking from scratch so much more do-able. There’s less mess, and less lag time between the inspiration to bake and your first bite. Just grab your bowl and a whisk and you’re off to the races.

A plain muffin needs a little something something on the top, right?

I used my favorite Sparkling Sugar to add a little glitz and a sweet crunch. Less homey, more coffee shop. You could use regular sugar if that’s all you’ve got, but sparkling sugar has a bigger crystal and a great texture. I recommend picking some up from Amazon.

Muffins are nice to have around because they’re already pre-portioned and they keep well. Pop day old muffins in the micro for 20 seconds to revive that amazing aroma. They’re special enough for office potluck parties, especially in winter when a cozy muffin is everything.

One of the saving graces of deep winter is all the juicy citrus that comes into season.

It’s surprising how many different ways you can incorporate citrus into baking. In this recipe I use the juice and zest of the orange, but it’s the zest that really brings the orange flavor home. The outer orange colored part of the peel, or the zest, contains the flavor and aroma oils, which provide the true essence of the fruit flavor. The more you use, the more flavor payoff you’ll get.

How to zest an orange

• The zest of citrus fruit is the very outer part of the peel…the part that is colored.
• When you zest citrus fruit you are looking to remove just that outer colored part, with as little as possible of the white part underneath, which is bitter.
• I highly recommend using a citrus zester, which is a tool specifically created to do the job.
• Be sure to zest your fruit before cutting or juicing!
• Zest your fruit as close to adding it to your recipe as possible, because the oils start to dissipate quickly.

More wintery breakfast ideas ~

• Warm Maple Oat Nut Smoothie
• Fresh Tangerine Scones
• Homemade Chicken Apple Sausage
• Fresh Ginger and Pear Cake