Cranberry Orange Muffins

Name: Cranberry Orange Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups (250g) all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar; 2 large eggs; 3/4 cup buttermilk; 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled; 1/3 cup canola oil (or vegetable, safflower); 1/3 cup (80ml) freshly squeezed orange juice (1-2 oranges); 1 tablespoon orange zest (1-2 oranges); 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon orange extract or orange liqueur (optional); 1 cup dried or fresh cranberries

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Light, moist, and delicate, these cakey muffins have the perfect orange flavor with bursts of delicious cranberries in every bite. It’s an incredibly simple recipe to make and perfect for the winter months!

Citrus muffins made with orange juice and zest, dried cranberries, oil and butter.

Cranberries are an amazing, delightful ingredient that’s perfect for the holiday season and cold weather. My orange cranberry layer cake is always a hit if you’re looking for something a little more fancy too. I also have a delicious blood orange cranberry quickbread recipe with white chocolate that is perfect for snacking. These cranberry orange muffins are so incredibly moist, buttery, and bursting with flavor. They’re perfect for breakfast, brunch, or serve them alongside your Thanksgiving turkey this year! You really can’t go wrong with this flavor combo.

Perfectly cracked orange muffin tops with a divided muffin revealing cranberries inside.

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Ingredients
How to make cranberry orange muffins
Tips for making perfect cranberry orange muffins
Serving and storing
More amazing muffin recipes to try

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar

Wet ingredients:

2 large eggs
Buttermilk
Unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Canola oil (or vegetable, safflower)
1-2 Oranges for freshly squeezed orange juice and zest
Vanilla extract
Orange extract or orange liqueur (optional)
Dried or fresh cranberries (craisins)

Orange muffin pulled apart to reveal dried cranberries inside.

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How to make cranberry orange muffins

These muffins come together in about 10 minutes!

Hydrate the cranberries. If using dried cranberries, combine them with the orange juice to slightly rehydrate them first.
Combine the dry ingredients. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Mix together the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, melted butter, orange juice (strained), orange zest, vanilla, and buttermilk.
Combine the two. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and gently whisk together until smooth. Then, fold in the dried cranberries.
Bake. Fill lined muffin cups evenly with batter, a little more than ¾ of the way full. Place in a 400°F oven, and bake! That’s it.

I like to use both melted butter and oil in this recipe. Butter adds a great flavor and delicate crumb. Oil is added for fluffiness and moisture. And this muffin is all of those things – fluffy, moist and delicate. The buttermilk adds moisture as well.

Perfectly moist and delicious orange muffins with cranberries.

Tips for making perfect cranberry orange muffins

Don’t overmix the batter. Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix the ingredients together just until combined. Overmixing will result in tougher, denser muffins, and we want them light and fluffy.
Weigh your ingredients for accuracy. While you can certainly create delicious muffins by measuring your ingredients by volume, measuring by weight is the most accurate way to ensure proper measurements.
Bake just until the muffins appear golden brown. To avoid dry muffins, pull them out from the oven as soon as they appear done and a toothpick comes out clean.
Drizzle with melted white chocolate. For added indulgence, try drizzling these muffins with melted white chocolate once they’re cooled. This takes them over the top and makes them truly decadent!

Do cranberries have to be soaked or rehydrated?

No, you can easily make this recipe by skipping this step. But, I find that soaking them first in orange juice yields the best results and makes the cranberries perfectly moist.

What fruit can be substituted for cranberries?

Currants are the perfect berry substitute for cranberries due to their small size and sour flavor profile. Fresh currants have a very short growing season, so dried currants are much easier to find and use. Fresh raspberries would also be a suitable substitute in this recipe.

Serving and storing

While these muffins are amazing on their own, I love adding a little honey butter spread or sweetened cream cheese schmear. If you want to make a quick homemade orange glaze, just add 1 cup powdered sugar to 2 or 3 tablespoons of orange juice!

Store your muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days for maximum freshness and flavor. Muffins are best the same day they are made. Muffins can be frozen for up to 2 months in an airtight container as well.

More amazing muffin recipes to try

Pecan Pie Muffins: Another amazing holiday muffin recipe, these taste just like sticky pecan pie in muffin form.
Lemon White Chocolate Muffins: Creamy white chocolate and zesty lemon come together for a rich, cake-like muffin.
Pumpkin Muffins: Easy, moist and delicious pumpkin muffins with rave reviews.
Apple Crumb Muffins: With a delicious buttery streusel on top!

Light, moist, delicate and cakey muffins with a subtle orange flavor and bursting with cranberries.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

YIELD 12 standard-size muffins

Author Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet.

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups (250g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
¾ cup buttermilk
¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
⅓ cup canola oil (or vegetable, safflower)
⅓ cup (80ml) freshly squeezed orange juice (1-2 oranges)
1 tablespoon orange zest (1-2 oranges)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract or orange liqueur (optional)
1 cup dried or fresh cranberries

Instructions

If using dried cranberries, combine the cranberries and orange juice first to sit and soak for a few minutes. *Strain cranberries out of the juice when adding to the muffin batter.
Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C degrees. Butter 12 muffin cups or line them with muffin liners.
In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add sugar and mix. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, orange juice* and zest, vanilla and orange extract (if using). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula just until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in cranberries.
Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 8 minutes before removing from pan.

Recipe Notes

Serving & Storing

While these muffins are amazing on their own, I love adding a little honey butter spread or sweetened cream cheese schmear. If you want to make a quick homemade orange glaze, just add 1 cup powdered sugar to 2 or 3 tablespoons of orange juice!
Muffins are best the same day they are made, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Muffins can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

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