Easy & Moist Cranberry Orange Muffins with Orange Glaze

These cranberry orange muffins are easy, moist, delicious and perfect for those cold winter days. Make them with Fresh cranberries and freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest for a burst of flavor when you bite into them! They remind me of a bakery style cranberry orange muffin especially with that orange glaze drizzled on top!

Are you a muffins person at all? I am definitely torn when it comes to this question. I never really liked muffins. Ever since I was a kid, I would tend to go for a cake instead of muffins. I don’t know if it was because a cake was bigger and more glorious or if it just tasted better to me.

I think I will go with the fact that it was bigger and more eye pleasing, I was a fat kid. So the more cake the better. But now, growing up I appreciate the little things. AKA muffins.

Are you ready for the best cranberry orange muffins recipe ever?!

This recipe combined fresh cranberries with freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest to bring you a kick of flavor with every bite. I had to start making these muffins at least once a week. They were back by popular demand, a little earlier than usual but hey 2020 has been a year. So everyone deserves all the baked goods their heart desires.

The best part is that muffins are super easy to freeze and will still taste awesome when you thaw them and heat that back up. This way you’ll have a delicious breakfast or snack option everyday. You can thank me later.

What makes these easy and moist cranberry orange muffins so special?

I believe that orange and cranberry are a flavor combo made in heaven! Add that to a muffin and you got yourself a winner. But if that didn’t convince you yet, maybe these points will 🙂

• These cranberry orange muffins are moist
• They are packed with cranberries for that bursting experience.
• They have the best balance of sweet and sour in every bite.
• No conservatives here! Which in my mind makes them so much better than the Panera Bread, McDonald’s or even Starbucks cranberry orange muffins!

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Ingredients to make cranberry orange muffins

Here are the ingredients needed to make these winter muffins:

• Flour- All purpose flour works great for this recipe.
• Baking soda and baking powder– The baking soda and baking powder are what gives these muffins their height.
• Salt– I always like to use salt in my baked good to balance out the flavors.
• Sugar– You will need some granulated sugar for sweetness.
• Butter– The butter will keep these muffins rich and moist.
• Eggs– Eggs are the binding element of this recipe.
• Yogurt and milk– The yogurt and milk will also be keeping these muffins moist and rich.
• Orange juice and orange zest– The natural orange juice and orange zest adds such a beautiful aroma that works perfectly with the cranberries.
• Vanilla– A little vanilla to brighten the flavor of these muffins.
• Cranberries– Fresh cranberries that will bring tartness and brightness to these muffins.
• Powdered sugar– You will need some powdered sugar to make the glaze by mixing that with a little orange juice.

Can I substitute fresh cranberries with frozen or dried cranberries?

Yes! Here is how you can have these muffins all year long and not just during cranberry season.

Using dried cranberries– To use dried cranberries in these muffins, you will need to soak them in hot water for 10 minutes. Once they’re soft, drain the water and pat them dry with a paper towel. This method won’t give you the exact same flavor or texture as if you were using fresh or frozen cranberries but the muffins will still be delicious!

Using frozen cranberries– This process is similar to using frozen blueberry in blueberry muffins. All you need to do is add your frozen cranberries to your batter as if you were using fresh ones. Made sure to add them while they’re still frozen and not thawed to keep them from dying your batter red/pink. You will also need to bake the muffins for a few minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

How to make homemade cranberry orange muffins

• First, start by preheating the oven to 425 and line your muffin pan with paper liners, set aside.
• In a large bowl, add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Give it a good stir to combine, and set aside.

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• In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, eggs, yogurt, milk, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla together until well combined. Pour the wet mixture over your dry mixture slowly, then mix just until combined. Fold in the cranberries, then divide the muffin batter into the 12 prepared muffin liners.

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• Bake at 425F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven’s temperature to 375F and bake for another 15 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean . Let the muffins cool down for 10 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool down completely.

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Make the orange glaze.

• While the orange cranberry muffins are cooling, prepare your orange glaze. In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar with the 1 tablespoon of orange juice until completely smooth.
• When the muffins are cool, drizzle them with the glaze and serve!

Tips for the best winter muffin recipe ever!

These cranberry orange muffins are our go to winter muffin recipe because they literally embody all the winter flavors. Here is how you can make these muffins as good as possible!

• Use room temperature ingredients– If your ingredients are too cold the butter will harden back up and won’t get incorporated properly, so use room temp ingredients!
• Don’t over-mix– Over mixing will result in a tougher muffin, so the second the flour disappears, stop mixing and scoop your muffin batter into the prepared muffin tin.
• Don’t over-bake– Over baking will result in a tough and dry muffin and that’s not what we want. Stop baking our muffins as soon as a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Use a powdered sugar that doesn’t have corn starch or make your own– I don’t like to use glazes too often because the store bought powdered sugar has a horrible after taste. I did find a solution to that though and that is to make the powdered sugar yourself by blending granulated sugar in a blender or finding a powdered sugar that has no additives. I heard Trader Joe’s has it.
• Let the muffins too down before glazing them- Make sure that your muffins are completely cool before adding your glaze to avoid it melting and running all over.

How to store cranberry orange muffins?

If you have leftovers, or you just like to make large batches of these delicious muffins, here is exactly how you can store them.

Place them in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days. I prefer storing my muffins in the fridge so they last longer. When you’re ready to enjoy then pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds or in the oven at 350 for 5-10 minutes.

Can I freeze muffins?

Yes! and this is exactly how you can freeze cranberry orange muffins. Place the muffins in an airtight container and place them in the freezer. They will last for up to 3 months this way. When you are ready to enjoy them, pull them out of the freezer and place them in the fridge overnight or on the countertop for 1-2 hours. Reheat them in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Cranberry orange muffins recipe

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