Name: Cranberry Orange Muffins
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (halved if large); 1 tablespoon orange zest (zest from one large orange); 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour; 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 large eggs; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled; 1/4 cup canola oil; 1 cup milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon orange extract; 1 cup powdered sugar; 2 tablespoons orange juice (juice from about 1/2 large orange)

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These cranberry orange muffins are soft and fluffy and topped with an orange glaze. They make the perfect breakfast or snack!

These cranberry orange muffins were absolutely delicious. Cranberry and orange is one of the best flavour combinations. Especially around the holidays.

These cranberry orange muffins are super easy to make, and are bursting with flavour. Soft and fluffy orange flavoured muffins are filled with tart, fresh cranberries, and topped with a sweet orange glaze.

These muffins make the perfect breakfast or snack. They’re easy to make and they taste fantastic. We loved these tasty muffins, and I know I’ll be making them again and again!

What is the best way to store muffins?

I like to store muffins in a loosely covered container at room temperature, with some paper towel underneath the muffins to absorb any excess moisture.

If you keep them in a sealed container, they will stay nice and fresh, but they tend to get a bit sticky, and for glazed muffins like these, the glaze will soften. Keeping them just loosely covered instead keeps them fresh for about 3 days, but the air circulation around them prevents them from getting sticky.

If muffins last longer than 3 days in your house, I’d recommend storing some of them in the freezer to keep them fresh longer. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.

What happens if you stir muffin batter too much?

Make sure that you don’t over mix your muffin batter. When you over mix muffins, they end up being dense in texture, rather than soft and fluffy.

The batter should be stirred just until everything is combined and the flour is hydrated. You shouldn’t have any dry bits of flour visible, but it’s okay if the batter is still lumpy.

How to make Cranberry Orange Muffins:

Make sure not to over mix your muffin batter or you will end up with dense muffins. Stir until the ingredients are just combined.
These muffins are not overly sweet, due to the tart cranberries, so I do recommend keeping the glaze on these muffins. It adds a bit more sweetness and the orange glaze complements the tart cranberries really well.
I like to use an ice cream scoop to portion out the muffin batter into the muffin pan. It is a fast way to fill the muffin tin and ensures all the muffins are about the same size.

Here are some more great muffin recipes for you:

Yield: 12 muffins

Cranberry Orange Muffins

These cranberry orange muffins are soft and fluffy and topped with an orange glaze. They make the perfect breakfast or snack!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the muffins:

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (halved if large)
1 tablespoon orange zest (zest from one large orange)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice (juice from about 1/2 large orange)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Lightly spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray and set aside.
In a small bowl, toss the cranberries and orange zest with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, melted butter, and oil until well combined.
Add the milk, orange extract, and vanilla, and whisk until combined.
Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
Fold in the cranberries and orange zest.
Scoop the muffin batter into the prepared muffin tin, dividing it between the 12 muffin cups.
Bake for 5 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking for 14-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Allow the muffins to cool for 5-10 minutes in the muffin tin, and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth to make the glaze.
Drizzle the glaze over top of the cooled muffins and allow it to set.

Notes

I’ve also made these without the orange extract (using more vanilla instead) and they still have lots of orange flavour from the zest and the glaze. The orange extract kicks up the orange flavour a bit more, but if you don’t have any, just use more vanilla, they’ll still be delicious!

Source: Adapted from my Glazed Lemon Cranberry Muffins.