A friend of mine was recently given the generous gift of a case of tangerines. He very kindly shared the wealth, and handed me a bag of beautiful, fragrant fruits.

Well, sure, I could've just eaten them; and I did enjoy some of them out of hand. But I like to bake, so it only made sense to make a batch of lovely, tender muffins. The brightness of the citrus flavor is especially wonderful with the chocolate chips. And, well, a little touch of sweetness that comes from a glaze can only enhance any treat, right?

Tangerine Chocolate Chip Muffins

Muffins:
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
3/4 cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice (from 6 tangerines)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 15 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips. In a large measuring cup, stir together tangerine juice, oil, vanilla, and eggs. Pour liquid over dry ingredients and stir just to combine.

Divide batter among the paper liners, and bake muffins for 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
juice of 1 small tangerine

Whisk confectioners' sugar and tangerine juice together until smooth. Drizzle glaze over muffins and let set.

Makes 15 muffins.

Mary Bilyeu writes for AnnArbor.com on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, telling about her adventures in the kitchen - making dinner, celebrating holidays, entering cooking contests, meeting new friends ... whatever strikes her fancy. She is also on a mission to find great deals for her Frugal Floozie Friday posts, seeking fabulous food at restaurants on the limited budget of only $5 per person. Feel free to email her with questions, comments, or suggestions: yentamary@gmail.com.

Go visit Mary's blog — Food Floozie — where she enthuses and effuses over all things food-related; and look for her monthly articles in the Washtenaw Jewish News. "Like" her on Facebook, or send a tweet on Twitter, too.

The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.