Candied Orange Muffins

What do you do when a neighbor brings you a bag of beautiful blood oranges from her tree? Make orange muffins of course! These muffins are moist, dense and great with tea.

Edwards Mansion Orange Muffins (Astray.com)

* This recipe makes a HUGE batch of muffins…3 dozen to be exact!

4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 Tbs baking powder

1 1/3 cups butter at room temp

3/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup milk

5 large eggs

1 1/4 cups orange juice

Mix together all the dry ingredients.

Add the butter, shortening, milk, eggs and orange juice. Mix thoroughly. Spoon batter into greased muffin pans until 2/3 full. Top each muffin with an orange section. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F. oven for 20 to 25 minutes. * Top with a candied blood orange slice, this step is not in the original recipe but I think its a nice touch!

Candied Blood Orange Slices

2 blood oranges
1 3/4 cup water
1 3/4 cup sugar

Thinly slice the blood orange. Bring water and sugar to a simmer in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add blood orange slices and simmer on low. Turn orange slices after 30 minutes. Simmer for a total of 45-60 minutes, or until the peels become translucent. Remove slices carefully from hot liquid with a slotted spoon and cool on a wire rack.