14 servings; 10 min preparation; 30 min cooking time

I had some pomegranate seeds and citrus fruit left in the fridge, so I decided to incorporate them in a delicious sweet treat. The kick of the spices make the taste of the muffins quite surprising. And the combination of spices really complements the orange flavor.

You can make the orange even stronger by adding a tea-spoon of orange or lemon liquor. I didn’t have any at home this time, but I’m sure that the combination would have been great. If you don’t like pomegranate, then replace the seeds with chopped walnuts or hazelnuts.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 orange, juice and zest
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup light brown sugar (2/3 cup if you want them sweeter)
1 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp five-spice powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
butter for brushing the muffin form (optional)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/390 degrees F.

Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, lemon and orange zest together and transfer to a food processor. Add the milk, orange juice and vanilla extract and mix well. Add the eggs one by one while mixing. Add all spices and salt. Mix for a couple of minutes until smooth. When the mixture is ready take the bowl from the food processor. Add the pomegranate seeds using a spatula.

Spray a muffin form with oil or brush it with butter.  You can also use paper forms and skip the butter. Fill in 2/3 of each form with the mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 min or until the tooth stick comes clean. Let the muffins cool before you take them from the forms. Enjoy!