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.
These were the best ones of the recipes I have tried. They have twice as many berries as other recipes, and are not as dense. We will be making these again!
Thanks so much, Mike. These are favorites at our house. We love lots of berries in our muffins.
Yum!
Super easy to make.
I used dried cranberries and loved the chewy texture. Only needed 25min cook time. Didn’t bother with the glaze, enjoyed the crunchy top instead.
Will definitely be making these again.
Many thanks 👍
Thanks, Claire. So glad you loved these muffins. I think you would like them too with the glaze. xo
Just made these today – still cooling in the kitchen. I loved this recipe. However, I definitely would watch baking time. I used a dark pan, with muffin cups and 26 minutes was almost too much at the 375 temperature. I also happened to have orange extract on hand so I used some orange and some vanilla. And while I used dried cranberries, I soaked them and then floured them so that they would be just a little more plump than the usual dried fruit.
I will definitely be making these again!
Thanks, Heather. Hope you enjoy these muffins.
Can I use frozen, defrosted cranberries?
Hi Donna,
You can use frozen cranberries in this recipe but I would not thaw them before using. Hope you enjoy!
Does Having the cranberries frozen add to the cooking time?
Gio, you may need to add a few more minutes to the baking time.
Can I user frozen cranberries?
Hi Judy,
Yes, you can use frozen cranberries. Don’t thaw before using. Thanks!
Hello, I just waned to say I made these the other day muffins and a loaf tin = DEEEEELICIOUS!
Perfect amount of Orange too! I used dried cranberries but loved the tip to coat fresh berries. I didn’t know this trick!
Didn’t last long enough to even try freezing some.
Thank you xxxx I will be making more of this without hesitation!!!!
Hi Rachel,
So glad you liked these muffins. They are a favorite around our house, too! Thanks! xo
I use this recipe to make not only cranberry muffins but also blueberry muffins. I love the orange zest because it inhances the flavor of the fruit. I omit the orange glaze on both. These muffins are delicious without the added calories. I prefer using fresh cranberries but I will use dried when I can’t find fresh.
Any idea of temp and time difference if making mini muffins ?
Just made these today 😋 & they’re awesome! Followed recipe exactly & added 1 cup chopped walnuts. It made 20 muffins using paper liners. Thanks for posting such a fabulous recipe. This will definitely be the only recipe I’ll use from now on!
Aww, thanks so much Vicki! xo
Where does the milk come? in it’s not in the instructions .
It is in step 5 of the recipe instructions.