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Easy Cranberry Orange Christmas Muffins

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These easy cranberry orange Christmas morning muffins are forgiving enough for a last-minute baking session, impressive enough to serve to your in-laws, and delicious enough that everyone will ask for the recipe. The combination of tart cranberries and bright orange is perfectly festive.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick, 113g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • ½ cup (120ml) milk (whole milk preferred)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups (170g) fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen, do not thaw)
  • 1 large navel orange (zest and juice, about 1 tablespoon zest and ¼ cup juice)
  • 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (for topping)
  • ½ cup powdered sugar (optional, for glaze)
  • 1 tablespoon orange juice (optional, for glaze)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease the cups thoroughly.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt. Whisk for about 20 seconds to distribute evenly. Set aside.
  3. In a separate small bowl, toss the cranberries with 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture. This helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom during baking.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: ½ cup melted and slightly cooled butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg (room temperature), ½ cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, the zest of one orange (about 1 tablespoon), and the juice of one orange (about ¼ cup). Whisk until smooth and well combined.
  5. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold them together gently. Stir just until the last streaks of flour disappear — about 10 to 12 folds. A few small lumps are fine. Do not overmix.
  6. Gently fold in the floured cranberries with just a few strokes until evenly distributed.
  7. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full (about 60-65g per muffin).
  8. Sprinkle the tops generously with turbinado sugar, about ½ teaspoon per muffin.
  9. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
  10. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

For best results, use fresh cranberries and a fresh orange. If using frozen cranberries, do not thaw them. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes before baking for taller, more domed muffins. Overmixing leads to dense muffins. These muffins taste even better the next day.

Nutrition

Keywords: cranberry orange muffins, Christmas muffins, easy muffin recipe, holiday breakfast, cranberry muffins, orange muffins

Find it online: https://ovenmila.com/easy-cranberry-orange-christmas-muffins/