This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
I am all about aromas and flavors when it comes to baking – especially when I bake for the holiday season. I can never deny a good gingerbread cookie (extra cinnamon and nutmeg for me, please!) but lately, I’ve been longing to whip up something fruity and light.
When I think of holiday fruits, my mind immediately thinks of cranberries. I love its tart taste and I guess the deep crimson color makes me associate it with the rest of my seasonal décor. I wanted to incorporate cranberries into a baked good so I figured a batch of homemade orange and cranberry muffins would suffice.
I opted to use dried cranberries because I often keep them in my pantry for snacking. I wanted to make these muffins as easy as possible to prepare. There’s already so much going on during this time of the year and I didn’t want to develop a recipe that became too complicated or problematic to put together.
These muffins came out oh-so-perfect: a crispy top (all thanks to the sugared orange rind topping) and incredibly moist in the inside. The dried cranberries were the perfect flavor and combined well with the orange. This is definitely a must-try for your next Christmas party.
My Homemade Orange Cranberry Muffins
Yields: A dozen muffins
Topping
- ¼ cup sugar
- Grated zest of one large orange
Muffins
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 stick of butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp almond extract
- Juice of one large orange
- 1.5 cups dried cranberries
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a standard-sized muffin pan, line each section with non-stick muffin cups. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, grate your orange zest and mix with ¼ cup sugar. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
- In another bowl, mix eggs, butter, sugar milk until thoroughly combined.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Add almond extract, orange juice and dried cranberries. Mix thoroughly.
Pour batter into your muffin cups, about ¾ full. - Sprinkle with your orange zest topping.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.