Description
Delightfully moist and flavorful cranberry orange muffins bursting with fresh cranberries and zesty orange, perfect for a festive holiday treat or a bright breakfast option.
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
Fruit
- 1½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries (180g)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 400°. Line a 12-cup regular sized muffin pan with paper liners to prevent sticking and for easy removal.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until light and well combined, ensuring an even rise.
- Combine Sugar and Orange Zest: In a separate larger bowl, add granulated sugar and orange zest. Whisk together for about one minute until combined and fragrant, releasing the orange oils.
- Add Wet Ingredients: To the sugar mixture, add milk, vegetable oil, orange juice, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir until all wet ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Pour the dry flour mixture into the wet sugar mixture and stir gently until just combined. It's fine if the batter is slightly lumpy—overmixing can toughen muffins.
- Fold in Cranberries: Gently fold in the fresh or frozen cranberries ensuring they are evenly distributed without crushing them.
- Fill Muffin Cups and Bake: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 lined muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool and Serve: Allow muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely or serving warm.
Notes
- For extra flavor, sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of muffins before baking to add a crunchy sweet topping.
- Frozen cranberries can be used straight from the freezer; do not thaw to prevent bleeding color into the batter.
- Use fresh orange zest and juice for the best vibrant citrus flavor.
- Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
- Ensure not to overmix the batter to keep the muffins light and tender.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
