December 2, 2015

Orange Cranberry Muffins


Cranberries - love them or hate them?  This was my first time ever baking with cranberries and I thought the results turned out great.  The tart berry mixed with the sweet muffins was a great combo.

  I used the same recipe I use for The Best Blueberry Muffins and swapped out blueberries for cranberries, orange zest for lemon and added some almond extract.  The almond extract really brings all of the flavors together and you must add it in this recipe.  Without it, you will feel like something is missing, trust me. 

   This base recipe is a family favorite, but be careful not to over bake.  You will want that tender crumb of a perfectly baked muffin, not an over baked muffin.  These muffins would also be incredible with an orange glaze.  

You might also like:
Orange Cranberry Muffins
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

Topping

1/4 c. sugar
grated zest of 1/2 an orange

Muffins

2 1/2  c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/8 c. sugar
2 large eggs
4 Tbl. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
grated zest of 1/2 an orange
1 1/2 c. fresh cranberries, divided

For the Topping: Stir the sugar and orange zest together in a small bowl until combined and fragrant; set aside.


For the Muffins: Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and spray with cooking spray.  Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl; set aside.  In a separate medium bowl whisk together the sugar and eggs until thick and lemon colored.  Slowly whisk in the butter and oil until combined.  Whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla, almond extract and orange zest.  Pour wet ingredients into dry along with 1 1/4 cups of the cranberries.  Fold together until just combined; do not over mix.


Fill muffins cups full with batter, mounding slightly.  Press the remaining 1/4 cup of cranberries into the top of the muffins and sprinkle with orange sugar topping.  Bake for 16-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Makes 12 muffins.


Base recipe adapted from: America's Test Kitchen



24 comments:

  1. Cranberry and orange muffins sound and look really delicious! Really great combination!

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    1. They are delicious, I use apple sauce instead of eggs. You don't know what your missing.

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  2. These are some of the prettiest muffins I've ever seen!! Great flavor combo too.

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  3. These look delicious! Wonderful combination of flavors!

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  4. I made these earlier today and they are Scrumptious. The measurements are exactly perfect for 12 muffins. the topping is yummytoo. I didn't have almond extract so I used a tspn of juice from the zested orange. I also didn't have fresh cranberries, so I used Craisins and they turned out Great!!!! Thanks for sharing. I have another GO TO RECIPE. :)

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    1. I am so glad you liked it!! Thanks for letting me know.

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  5. Replies
    1. I've never tried it, but that is a great idea. I think it's worth a try. I would reduce the baking temperature to 350 degrees. I would use a 9x5-inch loaf pan and when you add the batter, make sure it doesn't fill the pan more than halfway full. Usually a quick bread recipe takes around 45 minutes or so to bake, so I would keep an eye on it and check it with a toothpick for doneness. Let me know if you try it.

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    2. I made this in a loaf pan! I prepared the same exact way, and baked on 350 for 60 minutes. Turned out perfect

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  6. These look so beautiful! I love orange and cranberry together! Definitely will save to try these :)

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  7. Yummy!!! I made these tonight and they are so so good! Plus they are SO pretty! I doubled the recipe and it made 24 muffins plus a small loaf pan!!! Thanks for the recipe!

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    1. That is so good to hear! Thanks for letting me know :)

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  8. Wow! These taste like Christmas in a muffin! I had to make the buttermilk so I used the orange juice from the zested orange instead of lemon juice.

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    1. I am so glad you liked them! Great idea with the orange juice.

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  9. I made these and they were delicious, but it took twice the amount of time to bake, which made it overbaked on the outside. Any idea what could have happened? My oven was SUPER hot.

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  10. Do you chop the cranberries or leave whole? Can't wait to make these.

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  11. Silly question, I have never cooked with cranberries, the only ones I see in the stores are the bags of hard cranberries. Is that what you use? Do you have to do anything with them before adding to the recipe? Blueberries are soft and juice so there is no prep work with them.
    Thanks

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    Replies
    1. I use the bag of the hard/firm cranberries. They get soft once they are baked. The only thing special I do with them is wash them and dry them.

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  12. Need recipe for diabetics -- wheat flour, sugar substitute, maybe apple sauce … ?? No glaze, just "breakfast" muffins ..

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  13. Can you use frozen cranberries. Cannot find the fresh.

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  14. Has anyone swapped out flour for almond flour/coconut flour?

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  15. I'd also be curious if anyone used almond flour or gluten free flour. And if the baking time changed for those modifications. Thanks!

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  16. Just made these today- best muffins ever! I used orange flavored dried cranberries, and some orange extract instead of grated zest, and they're delicious! And I also sprinkled oatmeal over the top before baking..

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