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Cranberry Orange Muffins in three sizes, mini, regular and Texas on a gray plate with a red napkin.
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4 from 1 vote

A Cranberry Orange Muffin

A Cranberry Orange Muffin recipe features the flavors of fall fruit and is quickly made featuring fresh or frozen cranberries and orange zest.  A great recipe for beginner bakers. 
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Muffins
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cranberries, cranberry, Cranberry muffin, cranberry muffins, easy to make, orange, quick to make
Servings: 20 muffins
Calories: 144kcal
Author: Helen S Fletcher

Ingredients

  • 12 oz fresh cranberries, fresh or frozen (340 grams)
  • 1 cup sugar (200 grams or 7 ounces)
  • ½ cup butter, softened (114 gram, 4 ounces or 1 stick)
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups all purpose flour (280 grams or 10 ounces)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup milk
  • Sanding sugar as needed

Instructions

  • Freeze the cranberries hard. 
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups with paper liners or spray them well.
  • Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. 
  • Add the vanilla and almond extracts as well as the grated orange rind, mixing in completely.
  • Scrape down and add the eggs one at a time.  Beat until light and completely combined.  
  • In the meantime, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix together.  
  • Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Add the flour and milk alternately, starting and ending with the flour in thirds and the milk twice.  
  • Last, place the cranberries in a food processor and pulse to coarsely chop.  Add to the batter and mix in just until well combined.  The batter will be stiff at this point because the cranberries are frozen.
  • Fill the cups ¾ full.  This applies to whatever size you are using.
  • Sprinkle the tops liberally with the sugar/nutmeg mix. 
  • Regular size muffins – bake  24 to 26 minutes – makes about 20 muffins
  • Mini size muffins - bake 117 to 20 minutes - makes about 40
  • Texas size muffins - bake 27 to 30 minutes - makes about 10 to 12

Notes

  1. 2 cups mini chips can be added.
  2. 1 cup toasted, chopped nuts of  your choice can be added.
  3. Either addition will increase the the number of muffins.  
  4. Freezing the cranberries will keep the muffins vibrant without turning an off color.
  5. Using paper liners for the muffin tins makes a softer, muffin that stays more moist.  If baked directly in sprayed tins the muffins brown more quickly and have a sturdier outside to them.  They don't stay fresh as long.  

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 117mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 187IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg