Cranberry Orange Muffins
Cranberry orange muffins are sweet and tart with fresh orange juice, dried cranberries, and a simple orange glaze. The crumb is soft and tender – a great muffin recipe for a holiday breakfast or brunch!
Fresh, bright orange muffins studded with tart cranberries are a delicious way to express your holiday good tidings this year. Cookies, cakes, and candy often seem to take center stage in the arena of Christmas baking, but what about breakfast and brunch? Don’t we all deserve a special Christmas treat at the start of the day? Of course, we do!
Maybe you already have the breakfast casserole planned, so I highly suggest adding a fresh-baked batch of cranberry orange muffins to go with it. They’re cheery and holiday-ish with their sunny orange flavor and Christmas-y red dried cranberries—bonus points if you bake them in festive paper liners.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
- Vegetable oil or canola oil
- Large egg
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, add 1/2 tablespoon of white vinegar to a 1/2 cup measuring cup and fill the rest with milk. Mix and let it sit for about five minutes. You can also try using the same amount of sour cream or Greek yogurt instead of buttermilk.
- Vanilla extract
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Orange zest
- Dried cranberries: You can use the same amount of fresh or frozen cranberries. If you use frozen, don’t thaw them—you can mix them right into the batter. They will release more moisture, so you may need to bake the muffins a few minutes longer.
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh orange juice
How to Make the Muffins
☑️ Make the Batter
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set the flour mixture aside.
In a large bowl, mix the canola oil, egg, buttermilk, vanilla extract, both kinds of sugars, and orange zest until just combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently fold in the cranberries.
☑️ Bake the Muffins
Divide the batter among the muffin cups in the pan.
Bake the muffins at 350°F in the center of the oven for 23 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool them on a wire rack.
☑️ Glaze the Muffins
Whisk the confectioner’s sugar and orange juice in a small bowl. Add more juice for a thinner glaze or more sugar for a thicker one, as desired.
Drizzle the glaze over the cooled muffins and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Ingredients: Using room-temperature ingredients is always a good idea when baking. So, if you remember, pull the eggs and buttermilk out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you make the muffins. It’s not a huge deal if you forget, but warmer ingredients mix better, making it harder to overwork the batter.
Room Temperature Storage: If you don’t plan on eating them right away, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for three to four days. Don’t glaze them until you’re ready to serve them for the best results. Keep the glaze in the fridge or make it before serving the muffins.
Freezer Tip: If you don’t glaze the muffins, you can also keep them in a freezer-safe container for up to two months in the freezer. Pop them into the microwave to thaw, and enjoy!
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Cranberry orange muffins are sweet and tart with fresh orange juice, dried cranberries, and a simple orange glaze. The crumb is soft and tender – a great muffin recipe for a holiday breakfast or brunch!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice (from about one navel orange)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set it aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, mix the oil, egg, buttermilk, vanilla extract, both kinds of sugars, and orange zest. Mix until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir just until combined. Gently fold in the cranberries.
- Divide the batter among the muffin liners in the pan.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 23 to 25 minutes. Take muffins out of the pan and cool them on a wire rack. While the muffins cool, make the glaze.
- Whisk the confectioner’s sugar and orange juice in a small bowl. Add more juice for a thinner glaze or more sugar for a thicker one, as desired.
- Drizzle the glaze over the muffins and enjoy!
Notes
Buttermilk Substitute: You can add either ½ tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a ½ cup measuring cup and fill the rest with milk. Mix and allow to rest for about 5 minutes.
Cranberries: You can use the same amount of fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries for this recipe. If you use frozen, don’t thaw them – you can mix them right into the batter. They will release more moisture, so you may need to bake the muffins a few minutes longer.
Room Temperature Storage: If you don’t plan on eating them right away, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for three to four days. For the best results, don’t glaze them until you’re ready to serve them. You can keep the glaze in the fridge or make it before serving the muffins.
Freezer Tip: If you don’t glaze the muffins, you can also keep them in a freezer-safe container for up to two months in the freezer. Pop them into the microwave to thaw and enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 256
- Sugar: 41.6g
- Sodium: 174.8mg
- Fat: 1.2g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 60.4g
- Fiber: 1.8g
- Protein: 3.1g
- Cholesterol: 16.6mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
More Christmas Breakfast Ideas
A holiday breakfast or brunch will be sweeter when you make this cranberry orange muffin recipe. The combo of flavors will get everyone in the Christmas spirit. Enjoy!
Happy baking,
