Description
Deliciously moist and flavorful cranberry orange muffins, perfect for the holiday season. These muffins combine fresh or frozen cranberries with bright orange zest and juice for a refreshing burst in every bite.
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: Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Line a regular sized 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners to prepare for baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until the mixture is fluffy and well combined.
- Combine Sugar and Zest: In a larger bowl, add the granulated sugar and orange zest. Whisk together vigorously for about a minute until the mixture is combined and fragrant, releasing the citrus oils.
- Add Wet Ingredients: To the sugar and zest mixture, add the milk, vegetable oil, orange juice, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir until everything is well incorporated.
- Combine Mixtures: Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredient bowl and stir gently until almost combined. Small lumps of dry ingredients are okay and preferred to avoid overmixing.
- Fold in Cranberries: Carefully fold the fresh or frozen cranberries into the batter, stirring just until they are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
- Fill Muffin Cups and Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the 12 prepared muffin cups. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool Muffins: Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack or serving platter.
Notes
- For best results, use fresh cranberries when in season or frozen cranberries directly from the freezer without thawing.
- Overmixing the batter can make muffins tough; mix just until ingredients are combined.
- Orange zest and juice add brightness, but you can substitute with lemon zest and juice for a different citrus twist.
- These muffins freeze well; store cooled muffins in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- To make muffins extra moist, add 2 tablespoons of sour cream or Greek yogurt to the wet ingredients.
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: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
