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Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe

Updated: By 58 Comments

Soft and buttery Cranberry Orange muffins that are quick and easy. This muffin is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or anytime!
A soft and buttery Cranberry Orange muffin that is quick and easy. This muffin is perfect for breakfast, brunch or for any occasion. | Hostess At Heart

Baking bread for the Holidays is such a special thing for me. When I think about a holiday bread, I am not going fruitcake. It’s good for a nanosecond and then I am over it. No, I want soft and buttery Cranberry Orange Muffins. These muffins are just as good for breakfast as they are with my Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas goose. O.k. I have never had a Christmas goose, but you get the idea.

A soft and buttery Cranberry Orange muffin that is quick and easy. This muffin is perfect for breakfast, brunch or for any occasion. | Hostess At HeartI found this recipe baked as a beautiful loaf of cranberry walnut bread. However, I knew that we wouldn’t be able to get through all of it before it was no longer edible. I turned it into muffins. Muffins are wonderful for breakfast or brunch, and they can be put in the freezer and taken out as you need them. I love making them for company because they’re just a special treat that says you appreciate the people at your table.

A soft and buttery Cranberry Orange muffin that is quick and easy. This muffin is perfect for breakfast, brunch or for any occasion. | Hostess At HeartOne of the things that I have learned about making muffins is that they turn out better if I mix them by hand. Over mixed bakery can be tough, or you can have little tunnels throughout the crumb. That’s from over mixing.

This recipe called for butter, cut into small pieces and then stirred into the dry ingredients. I treated this like I do my pie crust. I cut my butter into pea-sized pieces, and then just dropped them into my dry ingredients, coating them, not blending it in. The wet ingredients are stirred only until they are incorporated, and I gently folded my orange and cranberries into the batter.

A soft and buttery Cranberry Orange muffin that is quick and easy. This muffin is perfect for breakfast, brunch or for any occasion. | Hostess At HeartHeavens people, these muffins are buttery soft and delicious. They are perfect for breakfast, brunch or any occasion. Take them to work over the holidays and you may get a raise! Freeze them and pull them out when you want a special treat.

Don’t have time to make it now? Pin it for later!

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Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe

A soft and buttery Cranberry Orange muffin that is quick and easy. This muffin is perfect for breakfast, brunch or for any occasion.
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 12 muffins
Author Hostess At Heart

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup butter cut into pea-sized pieces
  • 3/4 cup orange juice
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1 cup chopped cranberries
  • 1/2 cup walnuts chopped (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line or grease a muffin tin.
  • Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk ingredients together.
  • Drop butter into dry ingredients, and lightly stir to coat.
  • Add orange juice, zest, and egg. Mix until just combined Fold in cranberries and walnuts.
  • Fill muffin pan 3/4 full. (Ice cream scoop)
  • Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Remove the muffins from the pan and cool completely.
  • Store covered, or freeze in a reclosable plastic bag.
  • Alternately, Bread can be baked as a loaf in an 8 1/2x 4 1/2 pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60 to 75 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes and then remove to cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Nutrition

Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 237mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Vitamin C: 8.8mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1.2mg
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If you like cranberries like I love cranberries, here are a couple more of my favorite recipes!

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake Recipe

Cranberry Vanilla Baked Donuts

Cranberry Vanilla Baked Donuts are soft, tender, and delicious. They can be made in a jiffy and topped with anything you desire | HostessAtHeart.com

Pork Chops with Cranberry Thyme Sauce

Pork Chops with Cranberry-Thyme Sauce look and taste like it's only for a special occasion but it's quick enough to put on your table any day of the week. | HostessAtHeart.com

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Cranberry Orange Muffins | Hostess At Heart

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Comments

  1. Christine | Mid-Life Croissant says

    Gah, Julie. So sorry for the delay in visiting! These are beautiful. I have been so tempted by cranberries this season! A fruit I usually ignore completely due to memories of them just being so bitter. Time to give them another try. Thanks for joining us at #SaucySatudays

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you! I must admit that I was pretty excited about it too. I think the following day I couldn’t get a single good pic. There are days….

      Reply

  3. Shari says

    These look like they would just melt in your mouth! I love the combination of flavors. They would be perfect for Christmas morning. Thanks for sharing them, Julie, and also the tips for not overstirring.

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you Shari! I always read about not over mixing, but I learned in my bread class that the worm tunnels are from over mixing. These muffins would absolutely be perfect for Xmas morning!

      Reply

  4. Liz @ spades, spatulas, and spoons says

    Hi Julie, the combination of cranberries and orange is so delicious. I think I saw that bread recipe as well and wondered if it would make good muffins. Thanks for bringing them to FF. I would love one with a cup of tea.

    Reply

  5. Sarah James @ Tales From The Kitchen ShedSarah James says

    Delicious looking muffins Julie, I love the sound of cranberries with the walnuts. I’ve pinned to make later. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  7. kudoskitchen says

    Orange and cranberry is such a classically delicious holiday combination. I really love that you can see all the flavors in the muffins that have been split in half. Just gorgeous!

    Reply

  9. Johanne Lamarche says

    How interesting to hAve the butter cut in dice for moistness. Love orange and cranberry together and must make these! If I wasn’t so busy up to my elbows in flour baking yesterday for a breakfast meeting this morning, I would have read this and made them already!!!

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you Johanne! I think these have to be my favorite muffins of all time. It is getting crazy isn’t it!

      Reply

  10. Lora @savoringitaly says

    I think that muffins are just so very lovely! I know what you mean about not finishing the loaf. It’s so nice to even freeze some of the muffins and enjoy at a later date as a special breakfast treat. A perfect holiday muffin, Julie!

    Reply

  11. Felice says

    Your photos are so beautiful and inviting. I love this flavor combination and will definitely have to try the recipe soon. I usually try and take some baked goods into work every now and again, but I’m sure these would be all gone before I could even think of pacing them up.

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you Felice! The folks at work would love them. I send treats in with my husband too and they always gobble them up.

      Reply

  12. pattisj says

    You make such pretty things, Julie. I like making muffins. They might be the closest thing to instant gratification in the bread-making world.

    Reply

  13. Anna says

    Julie, these muffins sound incredibly moist, delicious and comforting! Definitely saving this for the very near future … such as as soon as I can gather all the ingredients! Mmm … I can almost smell them baking now! [sigh]

    Reply

  14. Garden Walk Garden Talk says

    What a coincidence, I just made those this afternoon and they look just like they came out of my oven. Only difference, I do not add the walnuts as you list as optional.

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      We both had a great treat! I don’t always add nuts because my hubby doesn’t always love them, but we sure enjoyed this combo.

      Reply

  15. Lynz Real Cooking says

    These muffins sound so good. your description makes them sound mouth watering! yumm I love the ingredients Julie!

    Reply

  17. Loretta says

    Gorgeous muffins, I made a similar loaf last year with cranberries and orange peel/juice, just delicious! Yours look beautifully moist. I also like the dramatic effect of your pictures, from darkness to light featuring the muffins.

    Reply

    • Julie Menghini says

      Thank you Loretta! I have just been craving cranberry orange bread, and enjoyed them for breakfast! It’s been cloudy here for the last 2 to 3 weeks. Not uncommon, and it makes taking pictures a bit easier.

      Reply

  19. apuginthekitchen says

    Those muffins look so good Julie, what would you think about using leftover whole berry cranberry sauce. I make it with fresh orange juice, do you think I would have to adjust anything?

    Reply

  21. cookingwithauntjuju.com says

    Your recipe comes at the right time Julie. I recently had something similar but it came from a boxed mix. It was awful and tasted artificial. Yours look moist, fresh and I am sure delicious. I will have to make these for my friend who was trying to save time 🙂

    Reply

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