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    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    Cranberry Orange Muffins

    By Dannii · Published 1st October 2018 · Updated 25th November 2021 · 44 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links and generates income via ads · This site uses cookies · Post contains 1448 words. · About 8 minutes to read this article.

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Cranberry Orange Muffins with a text title overlay.

    These light and buttery cranberry and orange are a delicious autumn/winter flavour combination. Paired with warming spices like cinnamon and ginger, these Cranberry Orange Muffins are a tasty afternoon treat for the cold season and perfect with a cup of coffee.

    A basket of muffins next to more muffins on a cooling rack.

    Sweet dried cranberries with chunks of dark chocolate in a light and fluffy muffin that only take 30 minutes to cook. We added a little bit of orange juice as the citrus just lifts it all and adds some extra natural sweetness of course.

    We call these our Christmas muffins, but we would happily eat them all year round. Looking for some other festive recipes? Why not try our Christmas Tree Brownies, Christmas Cheesecake or Christmas Popcorn.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients needed
    • Step by step
    • Why should you try them?
    • Health benefits of cranberries
    • Variations
    • What to serve with Cranberry Orange Muffins
    • FAQs
    • Extra tips
    • More dessert recipes
    • Recipe
    • Feedback

    Ingredients needed

    • All purpose flour - We have tried making these with wholewheat flour, and even a mixture of the two, but they were just too dense for our liking.
    • Sugar - we used granulated sugar, although you could use a mixture of brown sugar and granulated for a richer flavour.
    • Butter - unsalted butter is best for this recipe.
    • Eggs - We used medium eggs in this recipe. If you use large eggs, it will change all the other amounts of ingredients.
    • Greek yogurt - Keep these muffins lighter by using a 0% fat Greek yoghurt.
    • Vanilla - Use extract instead of essence, as you will have much more of a natural flavour.
    • Salt
    • Baking powder and soda - These are used to increase the volume and lighten the texture of baked goods
    • Cinnamon and ginger - These spices give the muffins a real Christmas feel. Feel free to adapt the amounts to suit your own tastes.
    • Orange - We used the juice and the zest for a real burst of orange flavour.
    • Milk - We used almond milk, but any milk would work in this recipe.
    • Cranberries - We used dried cranberries, as that is all we could find at the time, but fresh cranberries would work in this recipe too.
    • Chocolate chips - For an intense chocolate flavour, use dark chocolate chips. Milk or white would work too.

    A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.

    All the ingredients needed for this recipe with text overlay labels.

    Step by step

    One: Preheat your oven to 200°C/390°F/Gas 6. Grease a 12 hole muffin tin.

    Two: In your stand mixer, or a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar together until creamy and well combined.

    Butter and sugar mixed together in a bowl.

    Three: Add the yogurt, eggs and vanilla and combine.

    Eggs, vanilla and yogurt added to the bowl.

    Four: Add the orange zest, orange juice and milk and mix gently.

    Orange juice, zest and milk added to the bowl.

    Five: In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.

    A mixing bowl containing flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.

    Six: Pour the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients and mix well.

    Two shot collage of the wet ingredients added to the dry, then mixed to form a batter.

    Seven: Add the cranberries and dark chocolate chips and mix well.

    Two shot collage of cranberries and chocolate chips added, then mixed in.

    Eight: Divide the batter between the muffin tin and put in the oven for 30 minutes.

    A twelve hole muffin tin with batter in each hole.

    Nine: Once cooked, allow to cool on a wire rack.

    Cooked muffins on a wire cooling rack.

    Why should you try them?

    • Full of festive flavour - Cranberries and orange just scream Christmas to us and this is one of the first things we bake when the festive season comes round.
    • Easy for kids to help make - Everything is just mixed in to a bowl, making it easy for kids to do. Perfect for some Christmas family baking.
    • Just 223 calories a muffin - These are not huge muffins, and more like mini muffins, and just 223 calories a muffin.
    • Adaptable - You can easily adapt these muffins by using different dried fruit and chocolate.

    Health benefits of cranberries

    Cranberries are probably most well-known for their association in the management of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Fresh cranberries are very low in sugar, which contributes to their sour taste.

    Cranberries are also a good source of vitamin C, E, K1, manganese, and copper.

    Variations

    One of our favourite ways to adapt these cranberry muffins, and to take them to the next level, it to top them with a cream cheese frosting. We mix together cream cheese, butter and icing sugar with a little vanilla and spread it on top of the muffins. Super indulgent, but delicious.

    You could also drizzle some white chocolate on them for something a little indulgent, but with minimal effort.

    You can also swap the cranberries for dried blueberries or cherries and use different chocolate chips if you like. Chunks of fudge also work well.

    What to serve with Cranberry Orange Muffins

    Any of the following drinks will go perfectly with one of these cranberry muffins:

    • Cinnamon Mocha
    • Healthy Pumpkin Spiced Latte
    • Mocha Frappuccino
    • Healthy Peppermint Hot Chocolate
    A cooling rack with four muffins on it. A broken muffin is next to it.

    FAQs

    Are cranberry muffins healthy?

    Portion control is definitely key when it comes to these muffins. However, there are loads of health benefits of cranberries. They are a good source of vitamin C, E and K1 as well as fibre. 

    Can you make mini muffins with this mixture?

    Our toddler LOVED these muffins, but they were a little bit too big for him. Not that he didn't give it a good go! You could easily make mini versions of these in a mini muffin tin so they were more toddler friendly. It would make them perfect for a kids party - something a little different.

    Can you use fresh or frozen cranberries in these muffins?

    Yes, you can use both. If you are using frozen, it is best to stir them in to the batter when they are still frozen. If they defrost first, they can become very watery.

    Can you freeze cranberry orange muffins?

    You certainly can and I would highly recommend it as these tasty muffins are seriously moreish. Once a batch of these are out of the oven, it is hard to keep your hands off them.
    Once they have cooled down, wrap them individually and then put them in the freezer. You can then take them out one at a time when you want once. Ideal for kids lunch boxes, or relaxing with a cup of coffee before you get the kids from school.

    Cranberry Orange Muffins on a wire rack with more muffins in the background.
    heart icon

    Extra tips

    • You could use fresh cranberries instead of dried, but it might change the texture a little.
    • When using dried cranberries, it is best to soak them first, as it makes them a little juicier.
    • The dark chocolate chips in these muffins do make them sweet, but you could easily leave them out.
    • Mix things up a bit and swap the cranberries for dried cherries or sultanas.
    • Try using white chocolate chips instead of dark.
    • To make these gluten free, you could use almond flour, however it would make them a little dry.

    More dessert recipes

    • Cinnamon Baked Apples
    • Easy 5 Minute Healthy Frozen Yogurt
    • Orange Drizzle Cake
    • Apple and Plum Crumble

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    If you’ve tried this orange muffin recipe, or any other recipe on the blog, then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
    Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - we love sharing photos when people make our recipes. You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

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    Recipe

    Cranberry Orange Muffins, some on a cooling rack, some in a basket.

    Cranberry Orange Muffins

    These Cranberry Orange Muffins are a tasty afternoon treat for this cold season and we have made ours lighter and lower in calories.
    An illustration of a v-shaped plant.
    Vegetarian
    4.78 from 18 votes
    Pin Print
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American, Christmas
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Allergen:
    An illustration of a carton of milk.
    Dairy
    An illustration of a cracked egg.
    Eggs
    An illustration of two ears of wheat.
    Gluten
    An illustration of four different nuts.
    Nuts
    Servings: 12 muffins
    Calories: 223kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    UK Metric Measures - US Customary Measures
    • 220 g All purpose flour
    • 115 g Butter
    • 120 g granulated sugar
    • 2 Medium eggs
    • 120 g 0% Greek yogurt
    • 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
    • 0.5 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon Baking soda
    • 0.5 teaspoon Cinnamon
    • 0.5 teaspoon Ground ginger
    • 1 Orange (zest and juice)
    • 3 tablespoon Almond milk (you can use any milk though)
    • 100 g Dried cranberries
    • 50 g Dark chocolate chips

    Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 200°C/390°F and grease a 12 hole muffin tin.
    • In a stand mixer, or a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and well mixed.
      115 g Butter, 120 g granulated sugar
    • Add the yoghurt, eggs and vanilla and combine.
      2 Medium eggs, 120 g 0% Greek yogurt, 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
    • Add the orange zest, orange juice and milk and mix gently.
      1 Orange, 3 tablespoon Almond milk
    • In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
      220 g All purpose flour, 1 teaspoon Baking powder, 1 teaspoon Baking soda, 0.5 teaspoon Cinnamon, 0.5 teaspoon Ground ginger, 0.5 teaspoon Salt
    • Pour the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients and mix well.
    • Add the cranberries and dark chocolate chips and mix well.
      100 g Dried cranberries, 50 g Dark chocolate chips
    • Divide the batter between the muffin tin and put in the oven for 30 minutes.

    Notes

    • You could use fresh cranberries instead of dried, but it might change the texture a little.
    • When using dried cranberries, it is best to soak them first, as it makes them a little juicier.
    • The dark chocolate chips in these muffins do make them sweet, but you could easily leave them out.
    • Mix things up a bit and swap the cranberries for dried cherries or sultanas.
    • Try using white chocolate chips instead of dark.
    • To make these gluten free, you could use almond flour, however it would make them a little dry.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 284mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 305IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @hungryhealthyhappy on Instagram and tag #hungryhealthyhappy!
    DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cindy Gordon

      October 03, 2018 at 5:47 pm

      5 stars
      Always looking for new recipes to UP our breakfast game. These muffins look great!

      Reply
    2. Lauren Vavala @ DeliciousLittleBites

      October 03, 2018 at 5:44 pm

      5 stars
      I haven't had a good cranberry orange muffin in way too long! Craving them even more now!!

      Reply
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    Dannii in hat and glasses stood on a beach.

    Welcome! My name is Dannii. Here you will find easy family recipes with a healthy twist, along with travel, home and family life and general happiness.
    Established in 2011, Hungry Healthy Happy has become one of the UK's most popular food and lifestyle blogs, with two successful recipe books published.

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