Fresh Cranberry Orange Muffins
These Fresh Cranberry Orange Muffins are like little bites of sunshine. With the tartness of fresh cranberries, the bright pop of orange zest, and the cozy crunch of pecans, they’re the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. Whether you’re serving them warm out of the oven for breakfast or sneaking one as an afternoon snack, they’re quick and easy to whip up in just 37 minutes. Plus, the buttermilk keeps them so soft and moist, they’ll have everyone coming back for more. It’s the kind of recipe that feels special but doesn’t take all day—what’s not to love?
12 Servings
Ingredients
- ¼ c salted butter softened
- 10 tbsp packed light brown sugar that’s ½ c + 2 tbsp, but written this way it’s way easier to follow
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ c all-purpose flour
- 1 ⅛ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ c whole milk buttermilk
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ½ c fresh cranberries chopped
- ⅓ c pecan halves chopped
Topping:
- 2 tbsp fresh cranberries chopped
- 2 tbsp pecan halves chopped
- 2 tsp sanding sugar
Instructions
- Start by creaming the butter and brown sugar together in your mixer using the paddle attachment. Make sure you stop and scrape down the sides a couple of times so every bit of sugar gets blended in with the butter. We don’t want any lumps!
- While that’s mixing, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350°F. Grab your muffin tin and line it with 12 paper liners—no one likes a messy cleanup, right?
- Next, crack in the egg and let it fully mix in until everything looks smooth. Now, beat in the vanilla extract. You’re probably starting to smell that lovely buttery sweetness already!
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. If you’re feeling fancy, you can sift it, but I usually just fluff it up with a fork to get rid of any big lumps and evenly distribute everything.
- Now it’s time to mix the wet and dry ingredients and bring it all together. Slowly add the dry mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Here’s how I like to do it: add a third of the dry ingredients, mix well, then add half of the buttermilk, mix again, then another third of the dry, more buttermilk, and finish with the last of the dry mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything’s well combined.
- Once the batter’s looking nice and smooth, gently fold in the orange zest, followed by the chopped pecans and cranberries. Don’t overmix—we want those juicy cranberries and crunchy pecans evenly spread out.
- Now, grab your muffin tin and scoop the batter in. I find using a ¼ or ⅓ cup measure helps keep the muffins even in size. You want to fill each liner about two-thirds full.
- Take the reserved pecans and cranberries and sprinkle a little on top of each muffin. It gives them that pretty, bakery-style look. Slide the muffin tray into the oven and let them bake for 10 minutes.
- After those first 10 minutes, crack the oven door and sprinkle the muffins with some sanding sugar (or whatever sugar you have on hand) to add a sweet crunch on top. Then, bake for another 10-12 minutes, until they’re golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
- Once they’re done, let the muffins sit in the pan for about 5 minutes to cool down a bit. Then, transfer them to a rack to finish cooling—or just dig in while they’re still warm! If you have any leftovers (unlikely!), store them in an airtight container once they’ve cooled to room temp.
Notes
Want to make these muffins gluten-free? Super easy! Just swap out the all-purpose flour for your favorite gluten-free flour blend—make sure it’s one that’s a 1:1 substitute, so you don’t have to adjust anything else in the recipe. I’ve had great results using a gluten-free flour that includes xanthan gum to help with the texture. You’ll still get that same fluffy, delicious muffin without the gluten. And don’t forget to double-check your baking powder to make sure it’s gluten-free too—it’s those little things that make all the difference!