Orange Juice Muffins With Orange Honey Cream (gluten/grain/nut Free)

Orange Juice Muffins

6 eggs

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

2 Tablespoons orange zest

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

Orange Honey Cream

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/4 cup honey

2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice

2 Tablespoons orange zest

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a muffin tin with 8 paper baking cups.

2.  Zest two large oranges....it should give you about 4 TB of zest.   Now juice the oranges (I use my hands and squeeze over a glass bowl) and set aside the juice.

3.  Put all of your muffin ingredients into the bowl of your food processor and turn on high.   Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl and then process again.  Repeat 2 or 3 times until the batter is completely smooth and fully mixed.

4.  Fill your 8 muffin cups with batter.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the muffins from the pan to cool on a wire cooling rack.

5.   In your stand mixer using the whisk attachment, slowly mix all of the ingredients for the orange honey cream.  When it is just barely mixed together, turn up the speed to high (about 8 of of 10 on my mixer) and mix for a few minutes.  The cream takes quite a while to come together and get light and fluffy if you start with cold ingredients (which I do).  If you plan in advance and use room temperature butter and cream cheese, your ingredients will mix much faster!   Mix until it is light and fluffy and resembles frosting.

6.  Serve your muffins with the orange honey cream spread.  Store both in the fridge.   Makes 8 muffins.

Notes:  These are SO good!!!  I usually bake with chocolate...but today I was craving something different.  I had 4 big oranges in a basket on the counter and came up with these.  They are delicate and not too sweet with a distinct orange flavor.   The orange zest is really what makes these fantastic, so don't skip it, and don't use store bought OJ.  Take the time to squeeze two oranges :)