Orange Cranberry Muffins

If you like a combination of sweet and sour, these Orange Cranberry Muffins with buttermilk 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 an excellent inclusion for sweet baked goods as it has a distinct sharp flavor that balances the sweetness.

My favorite thing about this cranberry orange muffin recipe is that it is light and airy on the inside and crunchy on the top.

Same as Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice, 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?

• These orange muffins with fresh cranberries 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.

• Cranberry & Orange muffins are fairly low in calories, 1 muffin has only 275 kcal!

• These lightly spiced orange 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 is 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. Alternatively, 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 muffins.

• 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.

• Buttermilk - It adds a pleasant tang to muffins while giving a moist & tender texture and extra body. You can substitute it with yogurt or sour cream.

• 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.

• Vanilla paste - I use organic vanilla bean paste or extract for deep&delicious vanilla flavor. Avoid using artificial vanilla for this recipe.

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 mold (I use 12 cups - 38 x 27 x 3 cm muffin mold) 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.

This step is necessary to avoid the cranberries sinking to the bottom of the cake.

Stir the flour, baking powder, sea salt, ground cardamom, and ground nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside.

In another large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, and 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 the 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.

Top Tips From The Chef

• Make sure the eggs are at room temperature before using them in the cake batter.

• 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. 

• Measure the flour correctly using an electronic scale. However, if you don’t have a scale, be sure to fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife to avoid overfilling the measuring cup.

• To check if your Cranberry & Orange Muffins are ready, insert a toothpick into the center of one muffin. If the toothpick comes out clean with no wet batter, they have finished baking.

Recipe FAQs

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Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making these scrumptious Cranberry Orange Muffins as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂 

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

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