Loaded with fresh cranberries, orange juice and orange zest, this cranberry orange muffins recipe gives you a great combination of sweet and tart.
Christmas is almost here! Are you hosting or going to your family’s house? It really doesn’t matter when it comes to these cranberry orange muffins. You may recall last month I shared a story about some good friends of ours, Kate and Brian, moving out to California and Lauren and I making some snacks for the road trip.
While one was pumpkin spice granola, the other were these muffins. Lauren had asked Kate what her favorite muffin was and it was an instant response. I’ll admit I was a little nervous about this cranberry orange muffins recipe as I had never actually made muffins like these.
I did quite a bit of research and combined what I thought was the best of two different recipes – one from Sally’s Baking Addiction and Genius Kitchen. Luckily for me, the first batch turned out great which is why I’m sharing today!
Obviously if you have ever bought cranberries, you know that they aren’t available year-round but you can easily use frozen or dried for this cranberry orange muffins recipe. And no you don’t need upcoming Christmas as an excuse to make these. They’re good no matter when you eat them.
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Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – the base for these breakfast muffins.
- Granulated sugar and light brown sugar – sweetens the muffins.
- Baking powder/baking soda – gives rise to the muffins.
- Salt and cinnamon – enhances the flavor.
- Cranberries – fresh is best, but frozen will work.
- Egg – adds structure.
- Orange juice – use fresh orange juice if possible.
- Greek yogurt – sour cream also works.
- Unsalted butter – added fat and flavor.
- Vanilla extract – enhances the flavor.
- Orange zest – extra orange flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Combined the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cranberries in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat together the egg, orange juice, yogurt, melted butter, vanilla extract and orange zest until combined.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners or spray with non-stick spray. Spoon the batter 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle the tops with some sugar and bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
The Cranberries are Too Tart
Some people love the tartness and some think too much tartness is a bad thing. If you wan’t to lower the tartness from the cranberries, just have them sit in 2 tbsp of sugar for a few minutes before adding to the flour mixture.
How Do I Make Sure My Muffins are Light and Fluffy?
The key with baking is DO NOT OVERMIX. It’s the death of any baking recipe and with muffins, it can lead to something that is dense and just not very appetizing. So what does not overmixing mean?
Well you mix all of your ingredients right until you see the flour disappear. Obviously the other issue can be baking too long. To combat this, you just insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin until it comes out clean.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use fresh oranges for the orange juice. You need an orange for the zest so you might as well take advantage of the flavor.
- If you want to mellow out the tartness of the cranberries, toss in 2 tbsp of granulated sugar and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Use baking powder that is less than a year old since it has been opened. If you use older baking powder, it won’t be powerful enough to help leaven the donuts. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use. Baking soda should be less than six months old and you can use the same test.
- You’ll know the muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean.
Other Breakfast Recipes
- Hash Brown Egg Muffins
- Pumpkin Oat Muffins
- Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
- Bacon Avocado Toast
- Mini Cheese and Ham Quiche
If you’ve tried these cranberry orange muffins or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt or milk
- 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients and stir in cranberries. In another medium bowl, beat the egg, orange juice, yogurt, butter, vanilla extract and orange zest until everything is combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Spoon into muffin pan and fill 3/4 full. Sprinkle tops lightly with some sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use fresh oranges for the orange juice. You need an orange for the zest so you might as well take advantage of the flavor.
- If you want to mellow out the tartness of the cranberries, toss in 2 tbsp of granulated sugar and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Use baking powder that is less than a year old since it has been opened. If you use older baking powder, it won’t be powerful enough to help leaven the donuts. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use. Baking soda should be less than six months old and you can use the same test.
- You’ll know the muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean.
Not the biggest fan of cranberries but these look pretty good!
Citrus and berries are always a good combination.
Agreed!