Bakery style Cranberry Orange Muffins are filled with tangy pops of red cranberries, orange juice, orange zest and walnuts. Warm from the oven, these muffins are just the right treat for Thanksgiving, a holiday brunch or Christmas morning.
These are the BEST orange cranberry muffins with walnuts! I adore them because of the bright fresh taste and vivid colour. Every bite of these homemade muffins contains intense flavour and texture. You get a fluffy moist cake-like crumb with a tart bite from the burst cranberries enhanced by citrusy orange and a then little crunch from the walnuts.
And there’s more! There’s no need to fuss with any glaze for this cranberry muffin recipe. Delectable cran orange muffins have crisp tops from the walnut crumbs and sugar crystals. A simple dusting of coarse sugar gives them extra sweetness and a bit of sparkle. After all, cranberries pair beautifully with sugar. Now you can see why there are so many reasons to be excited about these easy to make fresh cranberry muffins!
If you are looking for something new to try this holiday season, this is an awesome recipe. They taste just like bakery muffins and once you bake a batch you’ll never purchase store-bought muffins again. They are simple to make with no mixer required – just a bowl and a spatula needed. At our house they’re always a favourite and we enjoy them for breakfast, brunch, snack or dessert. For this reason I find myself hoarding fresh cranberries in the freezer while they’re in season in the fall so I can bake these muffins anytime.
Ingredients needed to make cranberry & orange muffins
- Eggs – Use large eggs at room temperature. To bring eggs to room temperature, leave cold eggs on the counter for 30 minutes or place them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for a few minutes.
- Canola or vegetable oil – Use your favourite neutral tasting canola or vegetable oil for this recipe. The oil will keep the muffins moist, tender and fluffy.
- Milk – Serves as a source of liquid to hydrate the dry ingredients, adds flavour, supports browning and softens texture.
- Oranges – You will need about two orange for this recipe. The zest of one orange is used to flavour the muffin batter and the juice of the oranges also flavours the batter and hydrates the dry ingredients.
- Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar – Use dark brown sugar which sweetens the muffins and gives them a slight golden colour and rich flavour, along with granulated sugar which keeps the muffins soft and moist.
- All Purpose Flour - Use unbleached all purpose flour which works best for this recipe and gives the muffins the best crumb.
- Salt - Use kosher salt to enhance the flavour of the batter. It perks up the depth and complexity of the other ingredients and provides a balance to the sweetness of the muffins without giving it a salty flavour.
- Cranberries - Use either fresh or frozen cranberries. If using frozen cranberries you don’t need to thaw them – just add them frozen.
- Walnuts – Add a lot of texture and crunch to the muffins. Buy fresh walnuts and store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer to ensure they don’t turn rancid. You can also make the muffins without the walnuts.
- Coarse Sugar – Coarse sugar is white sugar but has much larger crystals than granulated sugar. Here it used for sprinkling on the tops of the muffins. It holds its sparkly look even under baking heat.
How to make bakery style cranberry muffins
- Line a muffin tin with paper muffin liners or silicon liners
- Zest one orange and juice oranges
- Whisk eggs, oil, milk, orange zest and orange juice
- Add sugar and whisk again
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt and make a well
- Pour wet ingredients into the well
- Mix wet and dry ingredients
- Fold in cranberries and chopped walnuts
Cranberry Orange Muffins Out of the Oven
Once the batter is spooned into the prepared muffin cups press extra cranberries on top then sprinkle tops with coarse sugar and finely chopped walnuts. bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 - 25. The muffins come out of the oven with round golden tops.
Frequently Asked Questions
These muffins can be made with either fresh or frozen cranberries. If using frozen cranberries you don’t need to thaw them – just add them frozen. Fresh cranberries are in season from October to December. I buy lots of fresh cranberries and they freeze beautifully. Having them stored in the freezer means I’ll always have them on hand to bake with all year long.
Yes! I do prefer the tart burst of flavour from fresh or frozen cranberries, but dried cranberries will definitely work in this recipe. If using dried cranberries, use only 1 cup. Soak the dried cranberries in warm water for 10 – 15 minutes first to soften them. Drain and pat them dry before adding to the batter. Be aware that
dried cranberries are chewier and sweeter and will yield a different (but still delicious) result than you’d get with fresh cranberries that pop and burst in the batter when baked.
Absolutely! For a nut-free version eliminate the walnuts altogether and you’ll still get golden crisp muffins with rounded tops that will be just as mouthwatering.
This recipe is guaranteed to make moist, fluffy muffins. However, muffins can become dry if they are over baked. Bake the muffins on the middle rack at the recommended temperature and time or just until they are a pale golden colour and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Each oven is different - so start with the lowest baking time and check the muffins for doneness.
Freezing and Storage Tips
Ideally the muffins taste best when eaten the same day they are baked. But if you need to store or freeze them, follow the directions below.
- To store muffins - Muffins can be stored at room temperature. Arrange muffins in one layer in a storage container seal and keep it at room temperature. How long do muffins last when stored in container? To ensure optimum freshness, I wouldn’t keep them for more than 48 hours. If needing to store the muffins for longer then see the freezing directions below.
- To freeze muffins – Can you freeze cranberry orange muffins? Yes! The muffins freeze well. Arrange freshly baked and cooled muffins in one layer in a storage container, seal and store in the freezer for 1 to 2 months. Be sure to label and date them. To thaw the muffins, transfer them to a rack and leave atroom temperature for 3 – 4 hours to thaw.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
- Use paper or silicon muffin liners because the cranberries burst when baked and if they make direct contact with the metal tin they tend to burn and stick.
- Remember to zest one of the oranges before you juice it.
- Measure the flour correctly to avoid dense muffins. Fluff the flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into the measuring cup and use the flat edge of a knife to level it off.
- Use a spatula instead of an electric mixer to blend the ingredients and mix just until the dry ingredients are combined.
- Have some extra cranberries on hand to press into the top of the muffins for prettier presentation.
- Sprinkle muffins tops with finely chopped walnuts and coarse sugar before baking to really enhance the finished product and add more texture.
- To avoid dry muffins, do not over-bake. Bake on the middle rack at the recommended temperature and time or just to a pale golden colour and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
VARIATIONS
- Replace walnuts with pecans for an equally perfect taste
- Eliminate walnuts or any other type of nut altogether for a nut-free muffin
- Use frozen cranberries instead of fresh ones but do not thaw them
- Turn these into lemon cranberry muffins by replacing oranges with lemons
More cranberry recipes to explore:
Lemon Cranberry Scones
Two Bite Apple Cranberry Tarts
Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread
Recipe
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Bakery style Cranberry Orange Muffins filled with cranberries, orange juice, orange zest and walnuts are perfect for Thanksgiving, a holiday brunch or Christmas morning.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- ½ cup milk
- 1 orange zested
- ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries plus more for topping
- 1 ¼ cups walnuts divided into ¾ cup roughly chopped and ½ cup finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 12 standard muffin cups by lining with paper muffin liners or silicon liners.
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In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, oil, milk, orange zest and orange juice until blended. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk again until blended.
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In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients, flour, baking powder and salt and make a well in the centre.
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Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and with a spatula stir just until combined and all the dry ingredients are absorbed. Batter will be thick. Gently fold in the cranberries and ¾ cup roughly chopped walnuts.
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Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling them level with the rim. Lightly press in additional cranberries on top of each muffin.
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Sprinkle top of muffins with coarse sugar and ½ cup finely chopped walnuts.
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Bake until golden about 22 - 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes then un-mold the muffins and cool completely on a rack.
Recipe Notes
Recipe Notes:
1. Use paper or silicon muffin liners since the cranberries burst when baked and if they make direct
contact with the metal tin they tend to burn and stick.
2. Remember to zest one of the oranges before you juice it.
3. Measure the flour correctly to avoid dense muffins. Fluff the flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into the
measuring cup and use the flat edge of a knife to level it off.
4. Use a spatula instead of an electric mixer to blend the ingredients and mix just until the dry ingredients are combined.
5. For fluffy muffins do not over-bake. Bake on middle rack at the recommended temperature and time or just to a pale golden colour and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
DianeIThibodeau says
Hi Rita, I really loved making the orange cranberry muffins. Made them for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They were a success and absolutely delicious. Everyone loved them. Really looking forward to making other recipes. Di🎄