Description
These Cranberry Orange Muffins are tender, moist, and bursting with vibrant citrus flavor and tart cranberries. Perfect for breakfast or a festive snack, they combine the sweet zest of oranges with fresh cranberries for a delightful treat that’s easy to make.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
Wet Ingredients
- Zest of 2 oranges
- ½ cup milk (120mL)
- ½ cup vegetable oil (120mL)
- ¼ cup orange juice (60mL)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Add-ins
- 1½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries (180g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners to prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until the mixture is fluffy and well combined to ensure even rising.
- Mix sugar and orange zest: In a separate larger bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and orange zest for about a minute until the mixture becomes fragrant and combines well.
- Add wet ingredients: To the sugar and zest mixture, add the milk, vegetable oil, orange juice, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir thoroughly until all wet ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Combine wet and dry mixtures: Pour the flour mixture into the sugar and wet ingredients mixture, stirring until just combined. It's fine if there are still some small lumps of dry ingredients remaining—do not overmix to keep the muffins tender.
- Fold in cranberries: Gently fold in the fresh or frozen cranberries, ensuring they are evenly distributed throughout the batter without crushing them.
- Fill muffin cups and bake: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool before serving: Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely or serve warm.
Notes
- Use fresh or frozen cranberries; if frozen, do not thaw before adding to batter to prevent color bleeding.
- For extra texture, consider sprinkling some coarse sugar on top before baking.
- To make the muffins dairy-free, substitute milk with almond or soy milk.
- These muffins are best enjoyed within 2 days when stored in an airtight container.
- You can freeze baked muffins for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
