Description
Delight in these moist and flavorful Cranberry Orange Muffins featuring a zesty orange twist, fresh cranberries, and an optional crumb topping or orange icing. Perfect for breakfast or a snack, they offer a lovely balance of tart and sweet with a tender crumb.
Ingredients
Scale
Crumb Topping
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2/3 cup (83g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
Muffins
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest (from about 2 oranges)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk (any kind), at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (185g) fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw)
- optional: coarse sparkling sugar, for sprinkling on top (if not using crumb topping)
Orange Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C) and prepare a 12-count muffin pan by spraying it with nonstick spray or lining with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Make the Crumb Topping: In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, and melted butter until combined. Add flour and gently mix with a fork until crumbly but not paste-like. Refrigerate the topping while preparing the batter to help crumbs hold shape during baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Add Orange Zest and Wet Ingredients: Beat in orange zest on medium speed for 1 minute. Add eggs, yogurt or sour cream, and vanilla extract and beat for 1 minute. Increase speed to high and beat until mixture is combined and mostly creamy, scraping down the sides as necessary. Some curdling is normal.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: With mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredient mixture, fresh orange juice, and milk. Beat until no flour pockets remain; avoid overmixing. Gently fold in fresh or frozen cranberries by hand to prevent crushing.
- Fill Muffin Cups: Spoon the thick batter into prepared muffin cups, filling to the top. Add crumb topping over each muffin, gently pressing it down to adhere. If skipping crumb topping, sprinkle coarse sparkling sugar evenly over the muffins.
- Bake Muffins: Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce temperature to 350°F (177°C) and bake for an additional 19 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Total bake time is about 24 minutes.
- Cool Muffins: Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 15 minutes before icing.
- Prepare Orange Icing: Whisk confectioners’ sugar and fresh orange juice together until smooth. Drizzle over warm or cooled muffins as desired.
- Storage: Store iced or plain muffins covered at room temperature for several days or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freeze baked and cooled muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before enjoying. Warm in the microwave if desired.
- You can use nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt, Greek or regular, or substitute sour cream.
- Any kind of milk, dairy or nondairy, can be used; avoid nonfat milk for best texture and flavor.
- If using frozen cranberries, do not thaw before adding to batter.
- For jumbo muffins, bake at 425°F for 5 minutes then reduce to 350°F and bake for 25 minutes, total 30 minutes. Yields about 6 jumbo muffins.
- Mini muffins bake at 350°F for 14 minutes and yield 36-40 mini muffins.
- Cold crumb topping helps it hold shape better during baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
