Easy cranberry orange muffins recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Ready in 30 minutes. Soft and fluffy! Full of fresh or frozen cranberries, orange zest and a topping of sparkling sugar.
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My family loves a good muffin as breakfast or even an after school snack. It's one of those warm, feel-good treats that fills a hungry tummy. I especially love how festive these ones turned out. They are absolutely perfect for Christmas morning. These Chocolate Chip Muffins, No Bake Breakfast Muffins (Easy), and Easy Pancake Muffins (Fluffy) are always a hit too.
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Key ingredients
- Flour- All-purpose works best for this recipe.
- Sugars- Granulated is used for the batter and sparkling sugar for topping.
- Rising agents- Including both baking powder and baking soda.
- Extracts- I used orange and vanilla for these muffins.
- Eggs- You need two large ones at room temperature.
- Oil- Melted unsalted butter can also be used.
- Milk- I prefer to use whole or at least 2% for best overall flavor and texture.
- Cranberries- Make sure they are firm and not squishy.
- Zest- Orange makes a great pairing with the cranberries.
Variations
- Lemon cranberry muffins- Replace the orange extract with lemon extract and use lemon zest instead of orange zest for a new flavor profile.
- Try other extracts- There are many different extracts you can use to change up the flavor. For example, you may want to try almond, vanilla, maple, mint, raspberry, strawberry, or whatever is your favorite!
- Blueberry muffins- Follow the recipe except substitute the cranberries with fresh or frozen blueberries. If you like these you can also try my Lemon Blueberry Muffins (With Glaze).
- Make jumbo size- Get out the jumbo muffin tin and make a batch of jumbo muffins! Just be aware that baking time will vary and take longer than regular muffins.
- Make mini size- You can also make mini muffins with a mini muffin tray. Keep an eye on these, because baking time will likely be shorter than normal.
- Try other fruits- You can also try using raspberries, blackberries, or other small fruits. Just be aware of differing cook time and moisture content. If you want something with berries but a bit more sweet, check out these Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes (Soft & Fluffy).
- Serve with a topping- Such as Whipped Cream, honey butter, frosting, Strawberry Jam, preserves, Crockpot Apple Butter.
- Use frozen cranberries- Although I prefer fresh, frozen are also a good substitute.
How to make easy cranberry orange muffins recipe from scratch?
1. Mix together dry ingredients- This includes flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.
2. Add wet ingredients- Including zest, oil, milk, and extracts.
3. Mix everything together- Until smooth.
4. Fold in- Cranberries with spatula.
5. Pour batter- Into prepared muffin pan.
6. Sprinkle sugar on top- Then bake until done.
Tips and techniques
- Don’t omit sparkling sugar- Because it adds sweetness and crunch and gives that special bakery style appearance.
- Butter vs Oil- It is best to use oil, because melted butter leads to slightly denser texture and oil keeps the muffins lighter and moist.
- Don’t remove warm muffins from pan- I know it's hard to resist, but don't do it because they will break and make a mess. Let them cool first for 5-10 minutes.
- Don't replace sparkling sugar with granulated sugar- They are not the same and cannot be used interchangeably.
- Use whole milk- Or at least 2%, because your muffins will be richer and more moist.
- Grease and flour pan- Because otherwise the muffins will stick to pan and they will be difficult to remove.
- Test doneness- By inserting a toothpick into the center of the cooked muffin. If it comes out clean and tops are light golden brown, then your muffins are ready to be removed from the oven.
- Use room temperature ingredients- Because they blend together better.
Recipe FAQs
No, because using dried cranberries will make the texture and flavor less delectable. They won't have that soft, gooey burst of flavor either. Fresh is best, especially in this recipe. Plus, the muffins would then be chewy and if you put in the same amount of dried cranberries listed in the recipe there will be too many and it will be overpowering.
No, they are not the same. Sparkling sugar are large grained crystals and they don't melt and dissolve during baking. It's different than granulated sugar and cannot be used interchangeably.
Be sure not to overcook your muffins, because they become more dried out.
This can also happen when the batter is over-mixed because it knocks out the air from batter. Also, be sure to measure ingredients correctly so that you don't over-add any of the dry ingredients.
Storage
- Fridge- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer- Keep in an airtight container for up to 1 month, then thaw and enjoy.
- Make ahead- These can be made 1-2 days in advance if kept in an airtight container in the fridge, then serve when ready and consume within a day.
- Room Temperature- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container for 2-3 days.
More easy bakery style muffin recipes
- Banana Muffins (Soft and Moist)
- Pumpkin Muffins (With Cake Mix)
- Cinnamon Muffins (Soft and Moist)
- Banana Chocolate Muffins (Soft)
- Easy Applesauce Muffins (With Cinnamon)
Recipe
Easy Cranberry Orange Muffins (Soft, Moist)
Video
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Ingredients
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- ¾ cup Granulated sugar
- 1.5 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- 2 Eggs Large, Room temperature
- ½ cup Oil Or melted unsalted butter
- ¾ cup Milk Whole or 2%
- 1.5 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Orange extract Optional
- 1 tablespoon Orange zest
- 2 cups Cranberries Preferably fresh but frozen can be used
- ¼ cup Sparkling sugar For topping, Not the same as granulated sugar
Instructions
- Add eggs, oil, milk, vanilla extract, orange extract, orange zest and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the cranberries gently with a spatula.
- Pour batter in a greased and floured muffin pan or you can use liners instead.
- Sprinkle sparkling sugar on top of each muffin. You may have some sugar leftover that can be used in other baked goods.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick in the center comes out clean and tops are golden brown.
- Remove pan from oven and let muffins cool for 5-10 minutes and then enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t omit sparkling sugar because it gives them a special bakery style appearance.
- Fresh or frozen cranberries can be used although I prefer fresh. Dried cranberries cannot be used.
- Don't replace oil with butter because I tried it and ended up with dense muffins.
- Sparkling sugar cannot be replaced with granulated sugar since they are not the same.
- If you are not using liners, grease and flour pan generously to prevent sticking.
- Don't over bake because that will make these muffins very dry and crumbly.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Mallori
What kind of orange zest would you recommend? Looking online, I'm not exactly sure what to use for this.
Abeer Rizvi
You just zest a fresh orange with a zester. No need to buy anything online.
Deborah Johnson
The zest of an orange. You take a fresh orange and rub it across a zester (small grater).
Patricia
What kind of oil do you suggest? Olive, vegetable, sunflower?
Abeer Rizvi
You can use any oil you like. If you use olive oil, use the light one because the virgin olive oil has a strong flavor.
Kathy
Could sanding sugar be substituted for the sparkling?
Abeer Rizvi
Yes. They both maintain their crystal texture upon baking.