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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 which means holiday recipes - from brioche cinnamon rolls to homemade sugar cookies to a white Christmas margarita.
And these muffins are added to the list. At first thought, they may not scream holiday. I don't know about you, but really the only time I have cranberries is between November and December. And oranges just complement them perfectly.
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!
You get pops of juicy cranberries with bright citrus flavors throughout. They make for the perfect breakfast. And while I associate them with the holidays, you can make them year round. Just buy frozen cranberries.
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Ingredient Notes
- Sugar - using a combo of granulated and light brown sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness to offset the tartness of the cranberries.
- Greek yogurt - important as it helps create moist muffins but also has acid to react with the baking soda, which helps them rise.
- Oranges - use freshly squeeze orange juice and zest from oranges to add some acid.
- Flour - I like the combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour but you can use all of one or the other.
- Cinnamon - adds just a hint of spice which works well with the other flavors.
- Cranberries - always go with fresh if you can as it has just the right tartness.
Ingredient Swaps
As with any recipe, you can change up the ingredients if need. Some substitutes include:
- I'm a fan of combining sugars, but you can use all of one or the other. You can also sub for maple syrup.
- I use navel oranges for this recipe, but clementines work too.
- I like Greek yogurt for acidity and helping with moistness, but sour cream or regular yogurt are good replacements.
- If you want to make these vegan, replace the butter with vegetable oil and eggs with chia seed eggs.
- While I like fresh cranberries, you can use frozen in a pinch.
Step-by-Step Photos
Beat together the butter and sugar in a bowl until combined and then add in the wet ingredients and zest.
Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl before adding the wet ingredients and cranberries, folding in until just combined.
Spoon the batter to the top of a greased muffin tin. Bake the cranberry orange muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes before reducing heat to 350°F and baking for an additional 15-20 minutes or until done.
FAQs
It is really up to you. I just like the combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flour is a little more nutritious, but will make the muffin more dense.
So by combining the two, you get some of the extra nutrition but they aren't as dense. But you can easily make it entirely of whole wheat or all-purpose flour.
Yes. Just make some chia seed eggs. To replace 1 egg, the ratio is 1 tablespoon chia seeds in 2 ½ tablespoon of water.
You can also use the same amount of ground flaxseed. Chia eggs work great in any baking dish as it helps bind everything together just like a real egg.
For the butter, you can use vegan butter or replace with vegetable oil.
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 tablespoon of sugar for a few minutes before adding to the flour mixture.
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.
Yes! Just pour your batter into a 9x5 loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Then let cool on a cooling rack.
They will stay fresh for 3 days at normal room temperature, but 1 week in the fridge. They will last up to 3 months in the freezer, which is what I normally do.
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 tablespoon of granulated sugar and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add some roasted pecans or walnuts if you want added crunch.
- You'll know the muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean.
Other Muffins Recipes
If you’ve tried this cranberry orange muffins recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. These raspberry and white chocolate muffins are a great option too! 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
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon orange zest, (2 oranges)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour (90g)
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 2 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In bowl of mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until combined, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the eggs, yogurt and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until the texture is uniform. Add in the orange zest and beat until combined.
- In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the orange juice and milk and whisk until some lumps remain before adding the cranberries and folding until just combined.
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling them all the way to the top. Sprinkle some sugar over top.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F and then reduce heat to 350°F. Continue to bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes in pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
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 tablespoon of granulated sugar and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add some roasted pecans or walnuts if you want added crunch.
- You'll know the muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean.
Chris says
Not the biggest fan of cranberries but these look pretty good!
Kam says
Citrus and berries are always a good combination.
Ryan says
Agreed!