The Ardent Epicure

What you will need
A greased mini muffin tin
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2 cups of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of freshly-squeezed orange juice (about one orange squeezed)
1/2 cup of butter
3/4 cup of sour cream
2 cups of sifted flour
1 tsp. of baking soda
1 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of orange zest
1/2 cup of raisins (optional)
1/2 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

Directions
Mix the orange juice and one cup of the sugar in a bowl and set it aside.
Cream the butter and the other cup of sugar in another mixing bowl (mix until it becomes fluffy).
Add the sour cream to the mixture, then fold in the zest, and your fruit and nuts if desired.
Next, pour the mixture into mini muffin tins, and bake each pan of muffins at 375 degrees for about 12-15 minutes, until they are golden brown.
Remove the muffins from the tins and, while they are still warm, tip them in the orange juice and sugar mixture you created at the beginning, then let them dry and cool on a plate or rack.
Enjoy!

Makes approximately three dozen mini muffins.

Tip: you may use alternative for the fruit, such as cherries or cranberries, and walnuts work very well for the nuts.
Use a juicy, tangy orange or tangerine for a perfectly zesty treat.  Also, I found that they taste best if you submerge the entire muffin in the juice mixture, to heavily incorporate the orange flavor.  Add more juice as needed if the mixture becomes dried out.
For even more orange flavor, increase the amount of zest used.