#49) Chocolate Orange Crunchies

These little guys were an after-thought, really. I was in the kitchen waiting and waiting for my Mega-Orange Muffins to come out of the oven, and all the while I was getting more and more enticed by the citrus aroma filling the room. I got to thinking - what can I do next with some orange zest? Well, chocolate goes great with orange, but I wasn't in the mood for a cupcake or cookie... I wanted 100% chocolate. But, I couldn't make candy with just chocolate and orange zest? Well, really I could have (chocoholic, remember?!?!), but I thought it would be better to load it up with some crunchy extras!

Ingredients

2 cups chocolate chips (good quality)
zest of one very large orange
1 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1 cup coconut, toasted

Steps

-Melt chocolate.
-Stir in zest.
-Add almonds and coconut. Let cool slightly.
-Drop by tablespoonful onto parchment paper until hard.
-Eat, crunch, and be merry :)

#48) Mega-Orange Muffins

These giant muffins were quite a surprise when I took the first bite!!! I never imagined the orange flavour would be as prominent as it was and the texture was simply perfect. The orange flavour can be attributed to the orange juice and more so to the amount of zest included. The texture can be credited to the use of cake flour and the addition of whipped egg whites. Although I love these muffins as is, next time I am planning on adding some orange jam to the middle before baking :)

Ingredients

2 egg whites
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup orange juice
zest of one large orange (my orange was the size of a softball!)

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a jumbo muffin pan.
-Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
-Whisk together dry ingredients. Add oil and juice. Mix until combined.
-Gently fold in egg whites.
-Divide between muffin wells and bake for 20 minutes.