Cranberry Orange Muffins

Here is an easy and fluffy cranberry orange muffins recipe that is perfect for winter. These muffins are made with fresh cranberries, oranges, and whole wheat flour, then sprinkled with streusel topping before baking.

Is there a more perfect pair than cranberry and orange?

I didn’t think so.

I was in the mood for some cranberry baking, which typically happens as soon as I see fresh cranberries in the store. My last attempt at cranberry baking did not turn out well at all. Let’s just say that my cranberry bread had turned out gooey and raw in the middle. Yuck.

So, instead, I went for muffins this year.

These cranberry orange muffins have a lot going for them. They are fluffy yet filling from the whole wheat flour mixed in. Not too sweet, and packed with lovely tart flavors from fresh cranberries and orange.

Here I used orange juice and zest from one mandarin orange.

Can you use mandarin orange zest in baking?

Absolutely! The flavor provides a nice light and refreshing tone to muffins and quick breads.

Any orange zest will work well here. We tend to keep mandarin oranges around this time of year, so if you have Cuties lying around, just grab one of those to zest for these muffins.

How to Make Cranberry Orange Muffins

• Start by roughly chopping your cranberries and setting them aside.
• Mix your dry ingredients together first in a large bowl — flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, and spices (here I use cinnamon to keep things simple, but other warming spices would work nicely as well).
• In another bowl, mix together your wet ingredients — yogurt, orange juice, buttermilk, butter.
• Make a well in your dry ingredients, then slowly pour the wet ingredients in, and mix until just combined.
• Next gently fold in the cranberries.
• Divide the batter into 12 prepared muffin cups (add streusel topping if you wish), and bake until done.

These muffins are simple and easy to make, and are perfect for winter baking. Try them for holiday mornings, or mix up a batch to give away as a holiday treat.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

• Author: Brooke
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins 1x
• Category: muffins and quick breads
• Method: baking
• Cuisine: muffin

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Description

Easy and fluffy cranberry orange muffins recipe. These muffins are made with fresh cranberries, oranges, and whole wheat flour, then sprinkled with streusel topping before baking.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 cup chopped fresh cranberries

1 tsp orange zest

Optional: 4 Tbsp streusel topping

For the Streusel Topping

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar (white or brown)

2 Tbsp cold butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

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Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400F
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In another large mixing bowl, combine eggs, yogurt, orange juice, buttermilk, and butter. Whisk to combine well.
4. Add wet ingredients slowly to dry ingredients, gently mixing to combine.
5. Fold in cranberries and zest.
6. Optional: Sprinkle 1 tsp streusel topping over the batter in each filled muffin cup. To make streusel topping, combine butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl, then using a pastry cutter or your fingers combine until crumbly.
7. Grease or spray 12 muffin cups, and divide batter evenly between the 12 cups. Cups should be about 1/2to 2/3full.
8. Bake in preheated 400F oven for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean.
9. Cool in muffin cups for about 5 minutes before removing muffins to cool completely on wire cooling rack.

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