Orange Chocolate-Chip Muffins

from a visit to the Napa Valley

A favorite at anytime and best when just out of the oven.

Dry Ingredients

2 cups white flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Glaze Ingredients

1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar

Topping

Baker's sugar crystals or
Cocoa sugar
or both

Wet Ingredients

1/2 cup vanilla or orange-flavored low-fat yogurt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon dried orange zest
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 cup canned mandarin oranges, well-drained

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners. If you are not using a non-stick pan, then sparingly grease top surface of muffin pan to prevent muffin tops from sticking.

Mix together the glaze ingredients and heat in microwave for 30 seconds; stir to dissolve sugar; set aside.

Mix together the dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together the first 5 wet ingredients (all but the mandarin oranges). Combine the wet and dry ingredients, folding gently until just combined (should look rough, some dry spots, not smooth). Add the mandarin oranges to the mix and fold gently.

Spoon the batter into muffin tins lined with paper cups. Generously brush glaze on muffin tops. Sprinkle with baker's sugar crystals and/or cocoa sugar.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until tops are golden.

Variation
Lemon-Blueberry: Substitute lemon yogurt, dried lemon zest, lemon extract, and blueberries  (for mandarin oranges). Do not use chocolate chips. For glaze, use lemonade instead of orange juice, and top with vanilla sugar.

Tips
Separately, mix wet and dry ingredients the night before, but do not combine; cover wet ingredients and store in the refrigerator. In the morning, complete recipe for hot morning muffins.

For health-kick, substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour + 1 cup white flour; and sub in plain yogurt with 1 teaspoon of vanilla added. These muffins will be a bit grainier, less sweet, and the flavor of the chocolate and orange dominate.