No, of course I didn’t make this up! This is an actual thing. I’m not like normal people who can pick up a magazine (or subscribe to one) and just flip through it at random. When it comes to my Food Network Magazine, I read it all. Every. Single. Page. In order, even! During my intensive study of the January/February issue (I always feel so cheated on those “double issue” months, by the way) I came across an article debating the essential differences between cupcakes and muffins. Spoiler alert: it’s not JUST about the frosting! The best part of this fascinating topic was the 12-month calendar of beautiful, delicious, and unique Muffins of the Month. You’re not going to find “bran” or “banana nut” on this list. Take January’s entry: Orange Pomegranate Muffins with Citrus Glaze. Yep; muffin… but with glaze. I guess you’d have to read the article to understand…
Right off the bat, I’m glad I was making this recipe in January, before my grocery shopping ban goes into effect. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have an on-hand supply of clementines and pomegranate seeds hanging out in my fridge. Luckily, it turns out clementines are just “Cuties”, so my kids will be packing these in their lunches for a couple weeks. Also turns out you can buy single-servings of pomegranate seeds in a handy snack-pack, so you don’t have to go through the agony of procuring them from an actual fruit.
This was a simple enough recipe to throw together, it just took a little bit of forethought. It called for milk… but at room temperature. Butter, melted… but cooled. The weird part was about the oranges. 
“Cut into eight pieces; put in blender (peel and all) with the milk.” Wait. What?! That did NOT sound right. In fact I was really put off by it. I have used citrus zest many times, but never the entire peel! I was pleasantly surprised that tossing the wedges into my Bullet blender resulted in something that closely resembled an Orange Julius from back in the day in a matter of seconds. Who knew? Next I combined the wet ingredients with the dry, producing a slightly lumpy batter that was going to make 18 muffins, in theory. I was further impressed by the fact that this quantity of batter actually made 22, and I could have easily stretched it to an even two dozen. More bang for the buck is always better! I’m going to try freezing the excess and see if they maintain flavor and texture.
The pomegranate seeds were dropped on top of the batter, and then into the oven. If I was competing on Cupcake Wars, I would have been raked over the coals for my treats being overbaked (I only used the time range suggested, though I went with the high end), but I like them a little on the brown side. So there! Better than soggy, I always say. The citrus glaze was a real treat on this, as the “muffin” by definition (read the article!) was closer to a cornbread than a cake. It was just drizzled on to give a little hint of sweetness, but none of the heavy frosting that would have pushed it over into cupcake-land. These will be great as breakfasts on the go, snacks after school, or added to lunchboxes. Next month: Double-Chocolate Salted Caramel Muffins! I may “accidentally” double that recipe too…
Have Book, Will Cook 