Remember this?

I sure do. Thankfully it is looking more like this now:

I was feeling pretty pleased with myself after the Orange and Almond Spongecake I made recently; I managed to make a pretty fine dent in the citrus surplus I had acquired, and I was almost able to forget about the oranges I had left. Almost.

Yoo hoo, Holly! Remember me? I only have about 2 more good days left, and then it’s fruit fly city!

Ooh! Those hoity toity tangelos were at it again! I abandoned the existing recipe I had planned for the day, and began the hunt for something of the citrus sort. I hadn’t looked long when I discovered just the thing in Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book. Marion Cunningham is the genius behind the revised edition of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, and not only are her recipes delicious and easy to follow, but she is often hilarious in her writing. She has a small section in The Breakfast Book entitled “Breakfast Table Civility and Deportment,” where she has laid some basic ground rules for the proper way to behave at this first meal of the day. My favorite rule has to be #13 where she insists that questions not be answered in “a saucy manner.” Brilliant!

The plan for the morning was Orange Walnut Muffins. Alas, I did not have any walnuts in the house, but I did have some of those lovely candied kumquats from last week. Even if I did have walnuts, however, I probably would not have used them since I somehow ended up marrying one of those people who Don’t Like Nuts in Baked Goods. I don’t understand these types of people, but we have managed to remain happily married despite our differences. I remember the first time I was making banana bread when Joe and I were first dating, and he was horrified that I planned to put nuts in it. We divvied up the batter between us, one with nuts and one boringly without, and we poured from opposite sides of the loaf pan, so the two types of batter met in the middle. I wish I were joking. The things one does for love!

Orange Walnut Kumquat Muffins
Recipe adapted from Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book
I am sure that walnuts or any other type of nut would be lovely in these muffins, but I must say the kumquats added a lovely texture and unexpected burst of flavor. I also added a touch of allspice and vanilla to play off the orange notes and was very happy with the results. So was Joe.

2 large oranges
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups AP flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped candied kumquats, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 16 muffin cups and set aside. Zest oranges, being careful to only remove the orange rind, and not the bitter white pith. Using a pairing knife, remove white pith and discard. Puree oranges and zest in a food processor, or chop by hand. You should have about 1 cup of pulpy juice. Set aside.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl and add sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and orange juice. Stir to combine. Place flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and allspice in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just blended. Gently fold in kumquats, if using. Fill prepared muffin tins and bake until muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Best eaten while still warm, share only if necessary. Makes 16 muffins.