Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe
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This easy bakery-style Cranberry Orange Muffins recipe makes such moist, delicious, muffins bursting with bright flavor. Drizzled with a simple sweet orange glaze, these muffins are crowd favorites and perfect for the holidays and weekend brunch.
These Cranberry Orange Muffins are easy, delicious and perfect for breakfast and brunch. Drizzled with a decadent sweet orange glaze made from just 2 ingredients, they are even more special to serve for the holidays and family gatherings. But don’t save these muffins or glaze for special occasions – they are so simple to make and always a favorite!
Why you’ll love these Cranberry Orange Muffins!
Cranberries – and oranges – add such a bright, juicy flavor to so many delicious baked treats during the fall and winter – especially during the holidays! And these Cranberry Orange Muffins most certainly showcase the best combination of these flavors! They are the perfect combination of tartness from cranberries and oranges with moist, buttery sweetness from the bakery-style muffin. Simple, easy perfection!
This cranberry orange muffin recipe is an easy family favorite that I’m sure you’ll love! While I love to serve them for brunch, they also make an excellent, quick, and easy dessert.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
- Incredible Flavor: Tart cranberries and orange zest combine to create a rich, vibrant flavor in every bite!
- Glaze Makes Extra Special: The drizzle of orange glaze gives these muffins an extra touch, making them even more special on holidays (or any day!).
- Simple Ingredients: Real ingredients you recognize.
Ingredients for Cranberry Orange Muffins
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder: Helps the muffins to rise.
- Salt: Enhances the sweet and tart flavors. I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you substitute with Morton’s Kosher salt, fine sea salt, or table salt, you will only need half the amount.
- Cranberries: Use fresh, frozen, or dried. You use fewer dried cranberries than fresh or frozen ones. If using dried cranberries, use unsweetened ones.
- Butter: Softened to room temperature. See How to Soften Butter in a Pinch if needed.
- Eggs: Bind the muffins together, giving them their bakery taste and texture.
- Vanilla Extract: I use my homemade vanilla extract, but you can use any quality, pure vanilla extract.
- Orange zest: The zest of one orange adds a bright flavor to muffins.
- Milk: You’ll use a half cup.
- Orange Glaze (optional): Mix a couple of tablespoons of Orange Juice with Confectioner’s Sugar for drizzling over warm muffins.
How to Make this Cranberry Orange Muffin Recipe
These bakery-style muffins with simple glaze are easy to make. The fresh orange zest brings out the bright, juicy citrus flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare muffin tins.
- Sift together the dry baking ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Prepare the cranberries in a separate bowl: toss together the fresh or frozen cranberries with 2 teaspoons of flour to coat. Set aside. Skip this step if using dried cranberries.
- Mix the wet ingredients in a separate large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer: Cream together butter and sugar until lightened in color, or about 3 minutes. Add egg, one at a time. Mix in vanilla and orange zest.
- Gently fold in the flour mixture (dry ingredients), alternating with the milk. Stir until just combined. Fold in cranberries.
- Scoop mixture into prepared muffin tins and bake about 30 minutes. While the muffins are baking, make the glaze.
- Once baked, let muffins cool slightly in muffin tin. Then place on the serving platter or plate, and drizzle with Orange Glaze. Serve warm and enjoy. (They are also delicious cooled.)
Recipe Success Tips
- Room-temperature ingredients: Bring your butter, eggs, and milk to room temperature so they fully incorporate into the muffin batter.
- Measure your flour correctly: Weigh your flour to the correct measurement on a kitchen scale or spoon and level the sifted flour into your measuring cup.
- Check for doneness: Insert a toothpick or skewer into the center of a muffin to check for doneness. If it comes out clean, the muffins have finished baking.
Storage Tips
- Store: Once cooled completely, they can be stored underneath a cake dome for 3 to 4 days at room temperature.
- Freeze: Place cooked, cooled muffins onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 30 – 45 minutes so each muffin freezes individually. (You can freeze unglazed or glazed – if I know ahead I’m freezing, I wait to glaze right before serving). Transfer frozen muffins into a zip-top freezer-safe bag or other freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before serving.
- Reheat/Serve: Wrap muffins with foil and reheat at 350 degrees for 10 minutes to serve warm. They can also be served at room temperature. Glaze, if desired, after thawing/reheating.
How To Prepare Fresh Cranberries for Baking
To prepare fresh or frozen cranberries (not necessary with dried cranberries) to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of your muffins as they bake:
- Toss fresh or frozen cranberries with a bit of all-purpose flour, as directed in the recipe.
- Then you’ll gently fold them into the muffin batter at the appropriate step in the recipe. The muffins will then have cranberries throughout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you may use frozen cranberries. Use the same amount of frozen cranberries as you would fresh.
Yes. Use unsweetened dried cranberries. You will use less of them as specified in the recipe.
Toss fresh or frozen cranberries with about 2 tsp of all-purpose flour in a separate bowl, then gently fold them into the batter as directed in the recipe.
Are you looking for more easy brunch favorites? You’ll love my French Toast, Bacon Egg Cups, and Buttermilk Pancakes!
More Favorite Muffin Recipes
More Muffin Recipes
Here’s my Cranberry Orange Muffins recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour , + 2 teaspoons (2.5 g) for coating fresh cranberries, if used
- 1½ teaspoons (6 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (1.4 g) kosher salt
- 2 cups (198 g) fresh cranberries , or 1 cup (114 g) dried cranberries
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large (100 g) eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (9.3 g) vanilla extract
- (6-9 g) zest of 1 orange
- ½ cup (113.5 g) milk, room temperature
Orange Glaze:
- 2 tablespoons (34 g) orange juice
- 1 cup (113 g) confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º F. Spray muffin tins with bakers spray or coat well with shortening or butter and flour, making sure to discard any excess flour from the tins after coating.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Toss together fresh cranberries and 2 teaspoons of flour to coat cranberries in a separate bowl. Set aside. If using dried cranberries, simply skip this step.
- Cream together butter and sugar until lightened in color, about 3 minutes. Add an egg, one at a time, taking care to fully incorporate before adding the other. Mix in vanilla and orange zest.
- Gently fold in flour mixture, alternating with milk. Stir until just combined. Fold in cranberries (fresh or dried) and scoop mixture into prepared muffin tins, filling about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
- Prepare orange glaze topping for muffins while the muffins are baking by stirring together until well-combined.
- Once muffins have baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the muffin tin. Then, remove each muffin and drizzle with orange glaze. Place onto a plate to finish cooling or serve slightly warm.
Notes
- Store: Once cooled completely, they can be stored underneath a cake dome for 3 to 4 days at room temperature.
- Freeze: Place cooked, cooled muffins onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 30 – 45 minutes so each muffin freezes individually. (You can freeze unglazed or glazed – if I know ahead I’m freezing, I wait to glaze right before serving). Transfer frozen muffins into a zip-top freezer-safe bag or other freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before serving.
- Reheat/Serve: Wrap muffins with foil and reheat at 350 degrees for 10 minutes to serve warm. They can also be served at room temperature. Glaze, if desired, after thawing/reheating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2013.
I just made these and taste tested while they were still warm. I can promise you these are the best orange cranberry muffins I’ve ever made or had. I subbed in raisin style cranberries and I used a cara cara orange for the zest and juice.
Thank-you so much for posting the recipe.
I made these this afternoon as a test for the muffins for our Christmas breakfast at church in two weeks.
I used dried cranberries and 3 medium eggs and that worked well. I also added a cup of chopped pecans.
FABULOUS RECIPE!!!!! So delicious!
This will be a family staple from now on!
I need gluten free do you know I could make them GF they look so good would love to try. Thank you
Comment from Ruth, five up in the comments said she made hers gluten free, I wish she would of posted her changes.
Hi Sandra,
I’ve not made this particular recipe gluten free, but there are gluten free flours you may want to try. One I’ve tested in cakes before is called Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour – but again, I’ve not made these muffins with it. I hope this helps you. Thanks! xo
I just made a batch of these muffins. They are delicious. I added 1 tablespoon of chia seed (soaked in about 1/3 Cup of fresh orange juice). I might use only 1.5 c of fresh cranberries next time- I just found that there was slightly too many. Thanks for the recipe!
I made two batches of these muffins for my coworkers as my homemade Christmas gifts this year and they were a hit! I think I put too much sugar in my glaze because it was not this transparent so I will adjust next time. Mine also did not take 30 minutes at 375 so fortunately I checked on them half way through baking because otherwise they would have burned.
Thanks for this recipe its a keeper for me for sure.
This will be the dumbest question you have ever receive,,,,,,
When you say fresh cranberries Im assuming these are uncoooked.
LOL….I warned you
Not dumb at all, Rosemary! Yes, the cranberries are uncooked. I can usually find them in the produce section throughout fall and winter.
Made these yesterday and they were perfect! I am making them again today because they disappeared that fast!
Have made these a couple of times. Adapted them to gluten free using for coeliacs in my family. They are absolutely delicious. I used granulated sugar for the glaze to make a crunchy topping. Unfortunately they just seem to magically disappear!
I am making this for a class project and I need to make 30, can you please give me the recipe for 30?
Desperate for a fresh new recipe at 5:00 this morning for my husband to bring to a coffee klatch. I didn’t know I could use dried cranberries with pretty great results. Thanks for an easy, excellent recipe. We both loved the texture and flavor on the inside and the slight crispness of the outside of the muffin. This recipe is a keeper. I’m slipping it into my recipe notebook; for sure I’ll make these again!
I’m so glad you both loved it! xo