Cranberry-Orange Cupcakes
Description
Perfect for your Thanksgiving dessert table, these cranberry-orange cupcakes have a strong orange flavor thanks to a homemade orange syrup and orange zest.
Ingredients
•
2/3 cup white sugar
•
1 orange, zested
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1 cup orange juice concentrate
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1/2 cup white sugar
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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3/4 cup butter, room temperature
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2/3 cup plain yogurt
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2 eggs
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2 ounces chopped nuts
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2 ounces dried cranberries
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1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
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1/2 cup jellied cranberry sauce
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3/4 cup brown sugar
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2 tablespoons milk
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1 cup sifted powdered sugar
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1 cup jellied cranberry sauce
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2 teaspoons grated orange zest
Directions
1
Mix together 2/3 cup sugar and orange zest in a bowl. Allow to sit at room temperature until sugar is infused with orange flavor, about 3 hours.
2
Combine orange juice concentrate and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring continuously, until thoroughly combined and thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let orange syrup cool to room temperature.
3
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
4
Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl.
5
Combine butter and orange zest-sugar mixture in a large bowl; mix with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in yogurt and eggs until blended. Alternately fold in flour mixture and 2/3 cup of the orange syrup (that should be pretty much all of the syrup) in 3 additions, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in nuts and dried cranberries.
6
Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
7
Bake in the preheated oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 25 minutes. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool, about 20 minutes.
8
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat to make the icing. Add 1/2 cup cranberry sauce and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and continue to boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add milk and bring to a boil again, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
9
Gradually add sifted powdered sugar to icing. Beat with an electric mixer until thick enough to spread, adding a little hot water if icing is too thick.
10
Spread frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and let it harden just a bit. Pipe a ring of cranberry sauce around the edge of each cupcake and sprinkle with orange zest for some added color.