Cranberry Orange Muffins

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 cranberry orange 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. Hope you enjoy!

What Ingredients are in this Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe?

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Light brown sugar
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Cranberries
• Egg
• Orange juice
• Greek yogurt
• Unsalted butter
• Vanilla extract
• Orange zest

How to Make Cranberry Orange Muffins

1. Combined the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cranberries in a medium bowl.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the egg, orange juice, yogurt, melted butter, vanilla extract and orange zest until combined.
3. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
4. 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.

Other Breakfast Recipes:

• Hash Brown Egg Muffins
• Pumpkin Oat Muffins
• Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
• Bacon Avocado Toast
• Mini Cheese and Ham Quiche

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Cranberry Orange Muffins

This cranberry orange muffins recipe is loaded with fresh cranberries, orange juice and orange zest, so you get a great combination of sweet and tart.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cranberry Orange Muffins

Servings: 12 muffins

Calories: 179kcal

Author: Ryan Beck

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.

Nutrition Facts

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Amount Per Serving (1 muffin)

Calories 179 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5g 8%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0g

Monounsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 26mg 9%

Sodium 167mg 7%

Potassium 51mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 31g 10%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 15g

Protein 3g 6%

Vitamin A 7%

Vitamin C 18%

Calcium 2%

Iron 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.