Cranberry Orange Muffins

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Our decadent and delicious, cranberry orange muffins are topped with a simple crumble and drizzled with a powdered sugar glaze!

When it comes to breakfast on Thanksgiving, this is one of my favorite dishes. Simply put, it’s the best cranberry orange muffin I’ve ever eaten!

Best of all, you can make the muffins in less than an hour from start to finish. All you need to do is follow our simple instructions.

So, shall we get started on this holiday treat?

Three cranberry orange muffins on a plate topped with glaze.

How to make cranberry orange muffins?

The recipe is broken down into three (3) parts to make it easier.

To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. and line a muffin pan with liners.

One bowl with dry ingredients, another with a butter mixture.

Muffin Batter:

First, in a small mixing bowl, combine the orange zest with the sugar.

Next, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (baking powder, flour, and salt). Set both bowls aside.

Eggs, and other wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Then, in a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to blend the buttermilk, oil, orange juice, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Now, add the dry ingredients and sugar and orange zest mixture to the wet ingredients. Use your hand mixer to combine everything.

The muffin batter has been mixed and fresh cranberries added.

Afterward, use a rubber spatula or spoon to fold in the cranberries.

Last, fill the muffin liners about two-thirds (2/3) full with batter. Set the uncooked muffins aside because we can’t bake them until the crumble is ready.

Crumble Topping:

First, grab a small bowl and combine the melted butter, flour, and sugar.

Butter, sugar, and flour combine to make a crumble topping.

Next, place small pieces of the crumble on top of the muffins.

Last, place the cranberry orange muffins into the oven to bake for about twenty (20) minutes or until they pass the, “toothpick,” test.

The unbaked cranberry orange muffins topped with the crumble topping.

Making the Glaze:

The last part of the recipe is the easiest. All you need to do is make the glaze while the muffins cool.

Powdered sugar and orange juice combine to make a glaze.

Whisk together the orange juice and powdered sugar. Only use enough juice to get the consistency you like.

Once the cranberry orange muffins cool a little, drizzle the glaze over them.

The sweet glaze being drizzled over the finished cranberry muffins.

That’s it, your orange cranberry muffins are done! Kim and I hope you enjoy the recipe and wish you all the best 🙂

Three cranberry orange muffins drizzled with glaze on a plate.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

4.9 from 8 votes
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Author: John
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Cooling Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 14 Servings

Ingredients

Muffin Batter

Crumble

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons orange juice, adjust to desired consistency

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a muffin pan with paper liners.

Muffin Batter

  • In a small bowl, combine the sugar and orange zest. Set aside.
    1 cup granulated sugar
    1 tablespoon orange zest
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    ½ teaspoon salt
  • Use a hand mixer to combine the buttermilk, oil, orange juice, eggs, and vanilla. Add the sugar mixture, and flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Continue to mix until just combined. Fold in the fresh cranberries.
    ½ cup buttermilk
    ½ cup vegetable oil
    ½ cup orange juice
    2 large eggs
    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
  • Fill the muffin liners ⅔ to ¾ of the way full leaving room for the muffins to expand while they bake.

Crumble

  • In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and melted butter. The mixture will be thick and crumble.
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    6 tablespoons unsalted butter
    ½ cup granulated sugar
  • Tear off pieces of the crumble and place on top of the uncooked muffins.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Glaze

  • While the muffins bake, make the glaze. Combine the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. Adjust the orange juice as needed to reach the desired consistency.
    1 cup powdered sugar
    2 to 3 tablespoons orange juice
  • After the muffins bake, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely before adding the glaze.
  • Store leftover muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Suggested Equipment

Notes

The calorie count listed is an approximation based on the ingredients and a serving size of 1 cranberry orange muffin. Actual calories will vary.
*The crumble and glaze are both optional. The crumble weighs down the muffins, so the more that is added the less the muffin will rise.
*The cranberries are tart, so the glaze adds a nice contrast. To reduce the tartness, cut back the amount of cranberries or add ¼ cup additional sugar.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 229IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
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4.88 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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