Orange - Cranberry Muffins

1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup orange juice (fresh is best)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter,
1 teaspoon candied orange peel
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk

Bring everything to room tempature.

Bring cranberries to a simmer in orange juice. Remove from heat. Let sit. Grease muffin tins or line with muffin cups.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add orange peel and beat to combine
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.

Fold in 1/3 of the flour. Add about 1/2 milk. Continue alternating flour and milk. Drain cranberries and fold into mixture.

Place in muffin cups and sprinkle top with sugar. Bake at 350 until done I think that is around 25 minutes. Really good warm.

 If you can't find candied orange peels. Peel an orange with a potato peeler, just to get the orange outside off. Cut into thin strips. Boil peel in about 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar, until the mixture is a thick and syrupy. Dump out onto wax paper and quickly separate slices. Be careful it is like the candy version of napalm. Let cool. Eat as a candy or chop up to use in recipes.

Chocolate Chip Bread

Odd recipe but really good. No one ever realizes it is made with a cake mix.

1 box duncan hines devils food cake mix

1 box duncan hines yellow cake mix

1 box chocolate pudding mix

2 2/3 cups Water

3/4 cup Oil

6 eggs

1 cup chocolate chips (bittersweet chips are really good in this)

1 cup chopped nuts

Combine cake mixes and pudding.

Add water, oil, and eggs. Beat till combined and slightly fluffy.

Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Place in pan. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 300 till done. In a loaf pan that normally takes around 40 minutes.