Cranberry Orange Muffins

This cranberry orange muffins recipe is the perfect balance between sweet and sour. The cranberries burst in your mouth, making these muffins so flavorful. They are easy to make, hearty and delicious to eat.

As you all know, I love muffins. Even muffins without chocolate in them. If you’ve been reading my blog, you will know that I usually sneak chocolate in muffins, much to Christopher’s chagrin. I will say that I did not do that with these.

I wanted to.

But it would change the flavor of this muffin into something it’s not meant to be. And I couldn’t have that.

I wanted to keep these as delicious as I remember them to be when I ate them as a child.

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Helpful tips

• If you don’t have the frozen cranberries this recipe calls for, you can use dried cranberries; just know they will make the muffins a tad sweeter.
• Did you know that frozen cranberries are considered fresh cranberries? They cranberries are frozen right after they are picked.
• If using frozen, it’s okay to use the cranberries right out of the freezer, there is no need to defrost.
• During the holiday months, I stock up on cranberries because you can keep them frozen and use them year round. If you like infused vodka, try my cranberry version.
• When I mix dry ingredients together, I like to use a pastry blender because it breaks up clumps really well.
• Whenever you’re going to zest citrus, you need to wash your citrus well. Here’s how: squirt some unscented natural hand soap in your hand and take the orange and rub the soap on the skin. Next, take a vegetable brush and scrub the skin. Run the orange under cold water making sure all of the soap has washed off.
• You can use store bought orange juice or squeeze the juice out of the orange you zested. It’s only one ounce but fresh orange juice is so tasty.
• Since I love big muffins, I fill the muffin cups all the way to the top. This can cause the muffin to spread out a little. So, if you like muffins that have a dome top, fill the cups 3/4 the way full.
• I choose not to add a streusel topping or orange glaze on the muffins as it tips the flavor profile over to too sweet. Without the glaze, it stays a good balance between sweet and sour.
• To store these muffins, place them in an airtight container, and they can go in the fridge for a few weeks. These muffins freeze well in a single layer in a ziplock gallon bag.

How to make cranberry orange muffins

Pre-step

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Get a mixing bowl, muffin tin, baking cups and rubber spatula.

Line the muffin tin with as many paper liners as you want to use. I like bigger muffins so I used ten.

Step one

Gather the dry ingredients – flour, brown sugar, cane sugar, baking soda, and salt. (A)

Step two

Add the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix together until combined.

Step three

Gather the wet ingredients – oil, large egg, milk, yogurt, and vanilla. (B)

Step four

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. (C) Mix with a rubber spatula until just combined.

Step five

Use a microplane ® to zest a whole orange. When I use that gadget, I use this glove to protect the hand holding the fruit as I don’t trust myself with that tool.

Also gather the cranberries, orange juice, and nuts. (D)

Step six

Add the cranberries, orange juice, zest, and nuts to the glass bowl. (E) Fold in the ingredients, being careful not to overmix.

Step seven

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. I fill each cup all the way up. (F)

Step eight

This is optional – I place a cranberry on each muffin.

Bake for 22 minutes.

Let the muffins cool for at least 5 minutes in the pan before removing them to place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Time to plate one.

And bite one.

I hope you enjoyed this cranberry orange muffin recipe. We love them here in our household.

Other delicious muffins

• Chocolate
• Date nut
• Pistachio
• Lemon
• Banana

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!