My favorite snack of all time is these cranberry orange muffins! They're light, buttery, and so good! I have literally made 4 batches of these muffins in the last month. They are super quick and easy to make and I just can't stop eating them! You might be thinking that this is more of a fall flavor (and you'd be right) but I always keep cranberries in the freezer so that I can make these muffins year round!
If you love cranberry season as much as I do, be sure to check out the rest of our fresh cranberry recipes!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few simple ingredients to make these cranberry orange muffins!
- Almond flour - Substituting a portion of the flour for almond flour is one of my favorite tricks! It yields tender baked goods with a slightly nutty flavor. But if you prefer, just substitute all purpose flour.
- Greek yogurt - I love adding Greek yogurt to baked goods because it keeps them super moist and tender! You can also use plain full-fat yogurt.
- Walnuts - You could omit the nuts all together or substitute pecans or almonds.
- Orange juice & zest - Fresh is best for maximum orange flavor! You need the juice and zest from about 1 large orange.
- Sparkling sugar - If desired, sprinkle some Sparkling Sugar to give your muffins some extra pizazz.
- Cranberries - I love using fresh cranberries when they're in season, but I also love making these cranberry orange muffins year round! So frozen cranberries also work great! No need to thaw them before adding straight to the batter!
How to Make Muffins
Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
Add in the eggs and orange zest and whisk fully incorporated.
Stir in the vanilla and yogurt until combined.
In a separate small bowl, sift together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Add half of the dry ingredient mixture and stir until combined.
Mix in the orange juice, then stir in the remaining dry ingredients.
Stir in the cranberries and walnuts (if using frozen cranberries, there is no need to thaw first).
Spoon the batter into your muffin cups so that they are almost full. Sprinkle sparkling sugar over top of each muffin if desired.
Note: to help muffins rise better, space them out in the muffin tin!
Bake at 400°F for about 25 minutes for regular sized muffins. Rotate the pan about halfway through so that the muffins brown evenly.
Remove and let cool on wire rack.
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Recipe FAQ's
These are best eaten the same day. Since the muffins are so moist, they will mold quickly when left at room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Yes! I recommend using fresh cranberries if you can but frozen work too! No need to let them thaw before adding to the batter.
For mini muffins reduce the baking time to 15-20 minutes.
More Recipes You Might Like
If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. And if you want more delicious, scratch-made recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons orange zest, about 1 large orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup plain full fat Greek yogurt, substitute plain yogurt
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup almond flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup orange juice, about 1 large orange
- 1 ½ cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
- sparkling sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and prepare you muffin tin.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
- Add in the eggs and orange zest and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Stir in the vanilla and yogurt until combined.
- In a separate small bowl, sift together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add half of the dry ingredient mixture and stir until combined.
- Mix in the orange juice, then stir in the remaining dry ingredients.
- Stir in the cranberries and walnuts (if using frozen cranberries, there is no need to thaw first).
- Spoon the batter into your muffin cups so that they are almost full. Sprinkle sparkling sugar over top of each muffin if desired.
- Bake at 400°F for about 25 minutes for regular sized muffins. Rotate the pan about halfway through so that the muffins brown evenly.
- Remove and let cool on wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Browse more muffin recipes →
Sally Hulse says
So. Good.
These may just be one of the best muffins I’ve ever eaten.
The zingy cranberries balances so well with the rest of the muffin. So they’re not too sweet. Just a hint of cinnamon the right amount of orange flavour.
And SO LIGHT!!!
Ursula says
Perfection, so yummy,
Lauren Thomas says
I follow your Instagram page (love the photography, btw!) and had to give these a try since my favorite local breakfast shop is closed due to COVID.
These scratched that craving for sure. Exactly what I needed for 2020, thank you!