Orange Cranberry Muffins

These lightly spiced orange cranberry muffins are wonderfully light, fluffy, soft and simple to make.

Course Breakfast, brunch, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword cranberry bread, holiday muffins, orange and cranberry muffins

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings muffins

Calories 222kcal

Author Nicole Shroff

Ingredients

Dry

200 grams all purpose flour 1½ cups
150 grams white sugar ¾ cup
8 grams baking powder 2 teaspoons
1½ grams salt ¼ teaspoon
3 grams cinnamon ground, 1 teaspoon

Wet

1 large egg at room temperature*
80 grams butter melted, ⅓ cup
80 milliliters whole milk ⅓ cup
80 grams yogurt ⅓ cup
2 grams almond extract ½ teaspoon

Berries

150 grams cranberries chopped roughly, 1½ cup
80 grams walnuts chopped roughly, ½ cup (optional)
4 grams orange zest 2 teaspoons

Instructions

Set the oven to 200°C fan/400°F and butter a 12 cup muffin tray or line with muffin liners.
Sieve together the flour, cinnamon and baking powder, then mix in the salt and sugar and set aside.
200 grams all purpose flour, 8 grams baking powder, 1½ grams salt, 3 grams cinnamon, 150 grams white sugar
In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
1 large egg, 80 grams butter, 80 milliliters whole milk, 80 grams yogurt, 2 grams almond extract
Pour the wet ingredients, cranberries, walnuts and orange zest into the dry and mix gently till just combined*.
150 grams cranberries, 80 grams walnuts, 4 grams orange zest
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups so they are ¾ full, and bake for 20-25 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes

Cranberries

fresh cranberries - rinse and drain, and use the recipe as is.
frozen cranberries - use from frozen without thawing, otherwise they give off too much water.
dried cranberries - soak in hot water for 5 minutes, then drain before using.

Taste one or two cranberries to make sure they aren't too sour in which case you might need to add a little more sugar to the batter.

Orange zest

First wash and dry the orange, then taking care not to remove the white soft pith under the skin (as it will give a bitter taste), either:

use a grater/microplane - for shorter strands and therefore the best option.
use a vegetable peeler - to peel away strips of zest, then slice into smaller strands.

Walnuts

Walnuts add an extra layer of flavour and texture but they are entirely optional. These muffins will still taste great without them. You can use raw walnuts but roasted walnuts will give an even better flavour.

To lightly roast walnuts - place in a single layer on a baking tray and bake at 180C fan/350F for 5 minutes. Allow to cool before chopping and adding to the batter.

Egg

*Egg - remove from the fridge an hour before using to bring to room temperature.

Tips

Use leftover cranberry sauce to whip up a batch of these yummy muffins, the spices will add great flavour! Use the same quantity as stated in the recipe card below.

Take care not to over stir the mixture or this will give flat, dense, chewy muffins. Leaving a few lumps and streaks of ingredients are fine.

Storing

Once cooled, these cranberry muffins will last up to 4 days in a sealed box.

To prevent the muffins from becoming soggy, wrap them in a clean tea towel or kitchen paper before placing in the box. Keep the container in a cool area.

These muffins should not be stored in the fridge nor wrapped in plastic wrap or they will become dry.

They can also be frozen for up to 3 months in freezer bags lined with kitchen paper. Thaw them in the fridge or on the kitchen counter overnight.

Nutrition