Cranberry Orange Muffins are easy to make, loaded with orange zest and juice, and drizzled with a sweet citrus glaze! They’re a delicious breakfast treat, especially during the holidays!
Do you enjoy the flavor combination of cranberries and oranges? I sure do! I’ve been making cranberry orange muffins for almost 40 years now with the same recipe, BUT I recently found a new recipe, tried it… and loved these muffins even more than my trusty old recipe!
The cranberry orange muffins are really easy to make, and I think you will love them, too! They are loaded with cranberries and the flavor of orange in the cupcakes AND the glaze make them “practically perfect in every way” (to quote good old Mary Poppins)!
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How To Make Cranberry Orange Muffins
The first thing you will need to do is beat the butter until creamy. Add the granulated and brown sugars, and beat them using an electric mixer until they are well combined.
Add eggs, plain yogurt, and vanilla to the mixture. Beat these until the batter is creamy and well combined.
Add in the finely grated zest from 2 oranges. Wow, the orange zest sure smells good!.
Mix The Dry Ingredients
In a large separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, and then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Stir the milk and orange juice into the batter. Mix them well. The batter will be fairly thick after they have been added.
Add fresh or frozen cranberries to the batter. Be sure to set enough aside (24) to put on TOP of the muffin batter for garnish later. Fold the cranberries in gently, to combine.
Fill the Muffin Cups
Spoon batter into sprayed and paper lined muffin pan, filling them almost up to the top. Please ignore my really old and dingy muffin pan. It works great, but looks horrible (Dear Santa… what would I like for Christmas?).
TIP:**By the way, I sprayed the paper muffin cup holders with non-stick spray, as well (an old secret I learned from a friend whose hubby was a professional baker). Put a couple cranberries on top of each of the cranberry orange muffins for garnish before baking.
Bake The Cranberry Orange Muffins
Bake the cranberry orange muffins in a preheated 425 degree oven for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 18-20 minutes (or until done/light golden color). Remove from oven, once done.
Let the cranberry orange muffins cool for a minute or two, then remove them from the pan onto a wire rack to cool. I like to put a sheet of aluminum foil under the rack, to help catch any drips when glazing them later.
Prepare The Icing For The Muffins
While the cranberry orange muffins are cooling off a bit, make the orange glaze by mixing orange juice and powdered sugar together in a bowl.
Once muffins have cooled off, it’s time to glaze them. You need to simply drizzle the glaze over the top of each muffin going side to side. Turn the rack one quarter turn and drizzle them again going the opposite direction (side to side, then top to bottom).
Time To Enjoy A Cranberry Orange Muffin!
Let the glaze firm up, and then these absolutely yummy cranberry orange muffins are ready to enjoy! Hope you will give these delicious muffins a try. They are packed with flavor!
I hope you try these cranberry orange muffins. You might be interested in some of my other muffin recipes, like Banana Crumb, Chocolate Chip, Gingerbread, Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip, Apple Raisin, Blueberry Lemon, Jumbo Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins, and Peach Jam Muffins. You can find ALL my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page..
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will consider coming back soon for more great recipes. Have a great day, and may God bless you in all you do!
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Recipe Source: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/11/06/cranberry-orange-muffins/
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature/soft)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light or brown sugar , packed
- 2 large eggs (room temp. is best)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- zest from 2 oranges
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen, do not thaw!)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons orange juice
- Line a 12 count muffin pan with paper liners. Spray each liner with non-stick spray. If not using liners, spray pan with non-stick spray. Set muffin pan aside.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a medium sized bowl using a handheld mixer), beat soft butter until smooth (on high speed), for about one minute. Add the granulated and brown sugars and continue beating for approximately 1-2 minutes, until fully combined. Add eggs, yogurt, and the vanilla extract; beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, if needed. Add the orange zest and combine. Remove bowl and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix well. Add the orange juice and the milk; stir until fairly smooth (you might have some little lumps (that's okay).
- Fold in the fresh or frozen cranberries (saving 24 to garnish muffins with), only until mixed in. Do not overmix.
- Distribute the batter into the muffin cups (they will almost be filled to the top). Add a couple of cranberries to the top of each muffin.
- Bake muffins at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, then reduce heat in oven to 350 degrees, and bake for an additional 18-20 minutes, until done and golden in color. Remove pan from oven. After muffins have cooled a couple minutes, remove them to a wire rack (with aluminum foil or wax paper underneath to completely cool.
- While muffins are cooking or cooling, make the citrus drizzle by mixing orange juice and powdered sugar together in a small bowl. Decoratively drizzle the glaze over warm muffins. Let muffin drizzle cool and firm up before serving! Enjoy!
If you wrap the muffins really well with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, you should be able to freeze them for up to 2 months.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!
