Theis Orange Cranberry Muffin recipe makes muffins that are moist, buttery, and bursting with fresh orange flavor and tart cranberries. They’re an easy breakfast or snack and taste amazing with a little drizzle of orange glaze.
Each bite of these buttery muffins is full of tangy cranberry and bright orange flavor. Impossible to resist, these easy Orange Cranberry Muffins are a family favorite that can be adapted to create a whole range of simple variations.
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Easy Orange Cranberry Muffin Recipe
The combination of tart cranberries and sweet orange in this Orange Cranberry Muffin recipe adds a little burst of sunshine to your breakfast. Each buttery, moist, and tender muffin is packed with flavor that’s made even more delicious with a drizzle of fresh orange glaze.
I love using fresh cranberries because you can just plop them right into the batter and they end up so juicy once baked. You can also use thawed frozen cranberries or even dried cranberries. If you’re craving more cranberries and orange, you may also like this Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake.
Cranberry Muffin Ingredients
- Flour - all-purpose flour is great for this recipe.
- Baking Powder - the baking powder helps the batter rise and keeps the muffins nice and fluffy.
- Salt - sea salt works great.
- Sugar - this recipe calls for white granulated sugar.
- Butter - your butter should be at room temperature so that it will mix properly with the sugar. You can either pull it out to room temperature for at least 1 hour ahead of time, or warm it for about 5-10 seconds at a time in a microwave just until soft.
- Eggs - any large eggs will work. It's best if your egg is at room temperature, which you can do by either pulling it from the fridge ahead of time or running the whole egg under warm water.
- Orange Zest and Orange Juice - you will need the zest and juice from about 1 medium orange. You will also need some for the glaze so plan on using about 2 oranges.
- Cranberries - I recommend using fresh cranberries rather than frozen cranberries because it will be far less messy and will ensure that the cake bakes evenly. If you add frozen cranberries straight to the batter, it will make cold pockets in the cake batter. But, if they thaw them first, they tend to turn the batter pink. In a pinch, they will still work!
- Orange Glaze - to make the orange glaze, all you need is orange juice and powdered sugar. You can adjust the consistency by adding a little more or less of each.
How to Make This Orange Cranberry Muffin Recipe
- Make the muffin batter. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the soft butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the orange zest, milk, and eggs, and mix on low until the batter is smooth. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined, then gently fold the cranberries in by hand.
- Add to muffin pans. Lightly grease muffin pans, or line with paper liners, then fill each about ? full.
- Bake. Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges are golden brown.
- Make the orange glaze. Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool on wire racks while you make the orange glaze. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and orange juice and whisk until combined.
- Finish. Use a piping bag or a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the top of your cooled Cranberry Muffins. Enjoy!
Simple Orange Cranberry Muffin Recipe Variations
Love Cranberry Muffins but want to try something just a little different? Here are a few simple Orange Cranberry Muffin recipe variations to try:
- Orange Cranberry Walnut Muffins: Add chopped walnuts or almonds to the batter.
- Orange Cranberry Streusel Muffins: Top the muffins with a crumbly streusel made from flour, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon for an extra layer of sweetness and texture.
- Orange Cranberry Chocolate Chip Muffins: Fold semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips into the batter.
- Orange Cranberry Greek Yogurt Muffins: Substitute some of the butter or oil in the recipe with Greek yogurt for a lighter and more moist muffin with a slight tanginess.
- Glazed Orange Cranberry Muffins: Drizzle a simple glaze made from powdered sugar and orange juice over the cooled muffins for an extra touch of sweetness and shine.
- Orange Cranberry Coconut Muffins: Add shredded coconut to the batter for a little extra sweetness and texture.
- Gluten-free Cranberry Muffins: use your favorite gluten-free flour to turn these into gluten-free muffins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You could also add the batter to a loaf pan, or bake in a 9” x 9” baking dish. The only difference would be the baking time, so just keep an eye on it and test by using the toothpick method.
I prefer to use fresh cranberries, but you can absolutely use frozen. Just be sure to thaw them first. Even dried cranberries would work!
You can store these at room temperature in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. If you want to freeze them, you can store them frozen for up to 2 months.
Storing and Freezing
- Room Temperature - store in an airtight container or freezer bags at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Refrigerator - store in an airtight container or freezer bags in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezer - you can also store these muffins frozen for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight or room temperature for a few hours.
Orange Cranberry Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Sugar
- ½ cup Butter room temperature
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
- ¼ cup Orange Juice
- 1¼ cups Fresh Cranberries
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Orange Juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Grease a muffin pan, or line with cupcake liners, and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the soft butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the orange zest, milk, and eggs, and mix on low until the batter is smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined, then gently fold the cranberries in by hand. Transfer the batter to your prepared muffin tin with an large spoon or ice cream scoop.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool on wire racks while you make the orange glaze.
Orange Glaze
- In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and orange juice and whisk until combined. Use a piping bag or a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the top of your cooled Cranberry Muffins. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Easy Muffin Recipes
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- Einkorn Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
- Easy Cake Mix Pumpkin Muffins
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- Pumpkin Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- More Quick Bread Recipes
- More Easy Breakfast Recipes
This Cranberry Orange Muffins recipe makes the most moist, tender, buttery, and flavorful muffins. They're full of fresh cranberries and oranges and couldn't be easier to make.
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