Cranberry Orange Bran Muffins

I bought a 12 pound case of California navel oranges recently, for $7.98.  In our area, that's a very good price!  Citrus fruit is a tremenduous value during the winter months.  

Now that I have my oranges I'm looking for ways to use them.  

Since oranges and cranberries play so well together, I decided to combine them in a breakfast muffin.  Muffins are always popular at our house and cranberry orange bran muffins would be a good make-ahead option for Christmas breakfast.  

The muffins turned out very well.  They're moist, not overly sweet, and they have a pleasant texture.

To make Cranberry Orange Bran Muffins, you'll need:

• 1 medium-sized navel orange
• about 2/3 cup of milk
• 1-1/2 cups wheat bran
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (use something with a neutral flavour, like canola or sunflower oil)
• 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cranberries

Begin by zesting the orange.  

Squeeze the orange's juice into a measuring cup and add enough milk to make one cup of liquid.

Place the bran in a large mixing bowl and add in the juice and milk mixture.  Let it stand for about 5 minutes.

Beat the egg and add it to the bran mixture, along with the orange zest, oil, and brown sugar.  Mix until the ingredients are well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add in the cranberries and mix them through until they are lightly coated with flour.

Add the flour mixture to the bran mixture and stir the batter just until it's combined.  

Butter or oil a muffin tin and portion the batter into the tin.  I made nine large muffins from this recipe.

If you have empty muffin cups in your tin, pour a little water into each one.  This will help to distribute the heat more evenly and will prevent the pan from warping.

Bake the muffins on the middle rack of a 350F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time.  

Test for doneness by pressing lightly on the top center of one of the muffins.  It should spring back.

Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes after removing them from the oven, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store the cooled muffins in an airtight container.  If you'll not be using them within a few days, store the container in the freezer.