If you like a combination of sweet and sour, these Cranberry Orange Muffins will become one of your go-to festive recipes. As cranberries are still in season, it is a great time to incorporate them into recipes. Fresh cranberries are a great inclusion for sweet baked goods as it has a distinct sharp flavour that balances the sweetness.
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My favourite thing about this cranberry orange muffin recipe is that it is light and airy on the inside and crunchy on the top. This recipe combines orange juice, fresh cranberries and a touch of orange zest. The combination of spices and orange zest smells like absolute heaven when they are in the oven!
Why This Recipe Works?
- They freeze beautifully, you can make them in batches and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- It is a very easy recipe to follow with step-by-step pictures and instructions.
- They are fairly low in calories, 1 muffin has only 275 kcal!
- These lightly spiced muffins are soft, buttery and moist. They will be your family’s new favorite!
- They have the perfect amount of sweetness and taste better than shop-bought ones.
- The combination of orange and cranberries are a great match.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Cranberries - They are the star ingredients for this recipe. I love fresh cranberries for their extra burst but you may use frozen. You can replace cranberries with blueberries.
- Orange - You’ll need the zest from two medium-sized oranges as well as the juice for that bright citrus flavor. You can replace the orange with lemon.
- Flour - You can use plain white flour or all-purpose flour. It is perfect for making cakes, cookies, pastries and thickening sauces. Sift it before using it in your pastries.
- Baking powder - It is a leavening agent which helps the muffins rise so they are light and fluffy. Make sure the baking powder hasn’t expired and be careful with your measurements!
- Eggs - They also act as a leavening agent, helping the muffins rise while also adding richness.
- Sugar - I use caster sugar for this recipe but you can use granulated sugar instead.
- Vanilla - It adds flavour to the cake. I use vanilla bean paste or extract but vanilla bean works even better if you have it in hand.
- Sea salt - It has a cleaner taste than table salt but you can use table salt if that’s what you have.
- Buttermilk - It adds a pleasant tang to muffins while giving a moist & tender texture and extra body. You can substitute it with yoghurt or sour cream.
- Butter - It adds richness to the muffins. Use good quality unsalted butter for the best results.
- Spices - Cardamom and nutmeg work perfectly with these muffins. You can use cinnamon or cloves instead. Adjust the amount or totally skip them if you prefer.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Muffins?
Although making these homemade muffins is very easy, you need to follow a few simple steps to achieve the best results:
- Preheat the oven (fan oven) to 175 °C / 350 °F. Place the muffin baking papers into a medium-sized 12-cup muffin mould (I use 12 cup - 38 x 27 x 3 cm muffin mould) and then set aside until you need them. In a medium bowl, toss the cranberries with a handful of flour and have the cranberries covered with a thin layer of flour. Stir the flour, baking powder, sea salt, ground cardamom, ground nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside. In another large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract and then beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is well combined. Do not over mix it. Add eggs one at a time to the wet mixture and beat the mixture until eggs are well combined. Set the batter aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and orange juice and then whisk until it is combined well. At this stage, either switch to a hand whisker or silicone spatula. To the egg mixture, slowly add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture by alternating between them until all 3 mixtures are fully combined. Make sure not to over mix at this stage, only gently fold the mixture to make sure everything is combined well.
- Add the cranberries and the orange zest to the batter and then gently fold them into the mixture.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 moulds with the help of an ice-cream scooper or a tablespoon. Fill them all the way up with the batter. Bake the muffins for around 25 minutes or until the top of the muffins get lightly golden brown. If you are not sure, insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. Let the muffins cool down for at least 15 minutes in the tray before transferring to a cooling rack.
Related Recipes
For more delicious muffin&cake recipes why not try:
You can enjoy these cranberry orange muffins for breakfast or as a sweet companion to your afternoon tea or coffee. It is also a great recipe to make when you have some guests over for breakfast or brunch.
This recipe makes 12 large muffins. Make sure you keep them in an airtight kitchen container after they are completely cooled down. Muffins will stay fresh for at least 3 days at room temperature. If you are worried that it may be too much for you, you can freeze some for later and keep them for up to 3 months.
Each of these homemade muffins has 275 kcal, can be considered fairly low calorie for a muffin!
Top Tip from The Chef
To prevent the fresh or frozen cranberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins as they bake, lightly toss them in a bit of flour, just enough to coat them.
I hope you enjoy the process of making these Cranberry Orange Muffins as much as you would enjoy eating them! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 350 g all purpose flour
- 200 g caster (granulated) sugar
- 115 g unsalted butter (melted and cooled down for 10 minutes)
- 2 eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (finely grated)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅓ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 80 ml orange juice
- 200 g fresh cranberries (you can use frozen cranberries but do not use dried cranberries)
- 220 ml buttermilk (at room temperature)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C / 350 °F.
- Place the muffin baking papers into a medium-sized 12-cup muffin mould (I use 12 cup - 38 x 27 x 3 cm muffin mould) and set aside until needed.
- In a medium bowl, toss the cranberries with a handful of flour and have the cranberries covered with a thin layer of flour.
- In a large bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, sea salt, ground cardamom, ground nutmeg, and set aside.
- In another large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is well combined. Do not over mix it.
- Add eggs one at a time to the wet mixture and beat the mixture until eggs are well combined. Set the batter aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and orange juice and whisk until it is combined well.
- At this stage, either switch to a hand whisker or silicone spatula. To the egg mixture, slowly add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture by alternating between them until all 3 mixtures are fully combined. Make sure not to over mix at this stage, only gently fold the mixture to make sure everything is combined well.
- Add the cranberries and the orange zest to the batter and gently fold them into the mixture.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 moulds with the help of an ice-cream scooper or a tablespoon.
- Bake the muffins for around 25 minutes or until the top of the muffins get lightly golden brown. If you are not sure, insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool down for at least 15 minutes in the tray before transferring to a cooling rack.
Nutrition
FOOD SAFETY
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
Cathy
These are delicious, thank you for sharing.
Ayla Clulee
My pleasure Cathy 🙂