Orange cranberry muffins hold all the amazing flavors of the holidays in one easy to eat package!! These muffins are quick, easy, and festive!
Cranberry orange anything is always good, but put those flavors in a muffin topped with sugar and you have a real winner!
Cranberry orange muffins are one of those hard to categorize foods. Is it a breakfast food or is it a dessert? It doesn’t matter- you’re an adult and can eat them whenever you want! Perks of getting older!
This orange cranberry muffin recipe is made using fresh-squeezed orange juice from an actual orange! (Did I say ORANGE enough for ya? I’ll say it again- ORANGE)
The flavors of sweetness, tartness and a dash of homebaked bread have this muffin tasting so good you may eat more than one, so be prepared to be stern with yourself about not eating an entire batch at once. That being said, they do contain egg, fruit, and milk so technically they can be healthy… Right?
How to make this orange cranberry muffin recipe
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and sugar.
- Then create a small well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, milk, orange juice, vegetable oil, and vanilla.
- Mix it all together until almost combined and then add in the dried cranberries.
- Continue mixing until there are no more dry clumps of flour.
- Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups- this recipe should make about 15 muffins.
- In a small bowl combine the sugar and the orange zest and then sprinkle that mix over the top of the muffin batter.
- Bake for about 15 minutes until the tops are golden and the toothpick can come out clean.
Then enjoy! They taste great warm and at room temp.
What time of year is good for these muffins?
Cranberry orange muffins typically see a rise in popularity around autumn and winter, but these are actually really good at any time of year.
While fresh cranberries may be a seasonal product and on sale at the latter portion of the year, dried cranberries can be found at any point throughout the year.
If you do want to use fresh cranberries in this recipe, you can. They are rather tart, though, so the flavor of these orange cranberry muffins will change dramatically.
How long are these muffins good for?
These muffins taste excellent fresh but can be good for a few days if left on the counter. It’s recommended to keep them in a zipper topped bag or a sealed container to help keep them from possibly drying out from too much air exposure.
For longer storage solutions you can store them in the freezer or in the fridge.
If you store them in the freezer, you can make a few batches worth at a time and grab one a day for easy on-the-go breakfast ideas!
Looking for more great recipes??
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- Homemade Soft Pretzels
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Orange Cranberry Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Muffin Batter
- 1 cup sugar heaping
- 2 1/2 cups flour all-purpose
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons orange juice fresh-squeezed, from one orange
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup cranberries dried
For the Topping
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange zest from 2 oranges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, nutmeg and sugar.
- Create a well in the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, milk, orange juice, vegetable oil, and vanilla.
- Mix until almost combined. Add the dried cranberries.
- Mix until no dry clumps of flour remain.
- Divide the batter between about 15 muffin cups, the cups will be almost full.
- Combine the 1/4 cup of sugar and orange zest.
- Sprinkle over the top of the muffin batter.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Alli says
Such a great holiday muffin!