Name: Lovingly Made Cranberry Orange Muffins
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 10 Muffins
Ingredients: 2 cups spelt flour (or flour of choice); 1/2 cup white sugar; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 2 eggs; 1/2 cup milk; 1/2 cup greek yogurt (plain); 1/2 cup olive oil (or vegetable oil); 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 zest orange; 1/2 cup pecans (chopped, some saved to sprinkle on top of muffins); 1 cup dried cranberries (or fresh)

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This cranberry orange muffins recipe is the perfect balance between sweet and sour! So delicious and easy to make!

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 totally change this delicious cranberry orange muffin. And I couldn’t have that.

Silly Memories

I got my first job at the place where my sister Nancy had a job. It was a dream job. Why? Because it was in a bakery. I couldn’t believe that I was going to work in a bakery. Called Sugar and Spice. Talk about the self discipline I would have to exercise not to eat my way through the display cases.

This is where I first got my taste of cranberry orange muffins!

I worked with such great people! The boss was so gruff and crusty on the outside, but inside she was as soft as a marshmallow. In that regard, she was like a lot of her baked goods. But I have to give her credit because I was very silly. I’m surprised I didn’t get yelled at more often. Truly.

I have so many great memories of that job. I will relate one of them here.

We used to take older cakes and pastries and sell them at a discounted rate. And at the end of the day, if they hadn’t sold, they were either thrown out or taken home by one of the workers.

*Raises hand in air, “Pick me! Pick ME!”*

Well, one day, there was a chocolate cake with white frosting on the counter waiting to be purchased. It had a sad wait because at the end of the day, no one wanted it.

We closed up shop and I waited for the other workers (all kids my age, mind you), to look at me and I shoved my face into that cake and took this humungous bite. Needless to say, there was a lot of laughing and everyone took a turn biting that cake.

Have you ever seen the movie, A Christmas Story? Remember when the mother prompts the little brother, Randy, to eat the mashed potatoes like a piggy? That’s what it was like, only with chocolate cake.

🙂

On to the lovingly made cranberry orange muffins

First, I preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

I get my medium stainless steel bowl and gather some spelt flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. I dump it all in the bowl and use my dough cutter to mix all the dry ingredients together.

Now, I get the rest of the ingredients.

We have 2 eggs, milk, yogurt, olive oil, vanilla, orange zest, pecans and dried cranberries.

I add all the above ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with my rubber spatula.

I get my muffin pan and place 10 muffin cups in it because everyone knows Lainey likes her muffins big!

Time to spoon the batter into the muffin cups. I fill each cup all the way up.

I take some of the pecans and sprinkle them on top of the batter.

Into the oven they go. I bake them for 22 minutes.

DING

I let the muffins cool for at least 5 minutes in the pan before I remove them and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.

After they cool, I plate one, break it open and get ready to consume it.

Look at those plump cranberries!!

I would normally use fresh cranberries but at the time that I made these, it was summer and the stores didn’t have fresh cranberries yet.

Now that the muffin is broken open, I’m going to slather it with butter.

Now, all that is left to do is to eat this delicious muffin and savor my fond memories of working at Sugar and Spice bakery so many years ago.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe.

Please feel free to leave me a comment, Pin any photo to Pinterest and Yum the recipe to Yummly.

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!