Orange-Spiced Whole Wheat Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Set the oven to 375°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with grease, or tuck paper liners into the cups.
2. Grab a large bowl and whisk the vanilla extract with the orange juice, vegetable oil or melted butter, eggs and orange zest until the mixture looks smooth and unified.
3. Whisk in the brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder, mixing until everything is evenly incorporated.
4. Tip in the whole wheat flour and stir only until it has disappeared into the batter. Do not overdo it here; the mixture should be thick.
5. Portion the batter into the prepared muffin cups as evenly as you can, using about 1/4 cup of batter for each. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick poked into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Rest the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.