Orange Marmalade Pumpkin Muffins #MuffinMonday

Thin shred marmalade mixed through sweet pumpkin batter makes these orange marmalade pumpkin muffins deliciously more-ish! Perfect for breakfast, snack or teatime!

When I was about five years old, we moved from Houston to Trinidad.  My father worked for Texaco and we lived in the small company camp of Pointe-a-Pierre.  When we first arrived, our house wasn’t ready yet because my father had asked them to install windows. All the little bungalows had screens to keep out the bugs, but no glass.  He says they called him a crazy American because he wanted windows!  Of course, his goal was an air-conditioned house and windows were essential to that plan.

Anyway, we stayed the first few weeks in the Texaco guest house, next to a main dining hall, and took most (all?) of our meals there. It was my first introduction to orange marmalade which looks just like a sweet jam but with little strips of orange rind. I was an all-American grape jelly eater so I knew sweet on toast and had no problem loading up with butter and marmalade. That first bite was bitter surprise. Followed closely by dismay. “Who eats this foul stuff?” I thought.

Fast forward years and years later, and I married a man who loves marmalade. He grew up eating the foul stuff, being of the British persuasion. We lived a few places where I couldn’t find orange marmalade for him so I started hauling back a large can of thin-cut Seville oranges  from the United Kingdom to make it myself. Because that’s the kind of person I am.

Each can was almost a kilo of prepared oranges. Just add water and sugar, cook it down and you have several jars of “homemade” marmalade to last the year. And, you know, I discovered that orange marmalade wasn’t near as bitter or nasty as I remembered it. In fact, it was quite nice.
I was delighted this week when I received the email with the #MuffinMonday recipe ( which came from this wonderful book ) because I knew my husband would love them.  If you are a fan of orange marmalade or if it’s been a long time since you gave it a second chance, try these. 

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups or 315g flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup or 170g sugar
1/2 cup shredded orange marmalade plus more to glaze
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup or 220g cooked pumpkin (canned or fresh)
1 cup or 240ml buttermilk  (or 1 tablespoon white vinegar mixed 10 minutes ahead with 1 cup or 240ml whole milk)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Method
Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C and line your muffin tin with paper liners or spray thoroughly with non-stick spray.

Mix together all of your dry ingredients: the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

In another small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients except the butter: the orange marmalade, the eggs, the pumpkin and buttermilk. 

Once they are thoroughly mixed, whisk in the melted butter.

Pour the liquid mixture over the flour mixture and fold it in with a rubber spatula until the flour is incorporated.  Do not over mix.

Divide the batter between your muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into one comes out clean.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and then remove the muffins from the tin. 

Add about half a teaspoon of marmalade to the top of each muffin and spread it around with the back of your teaspoon to glaze.

Enjoy!