These Orange Cranberry Muffins are EVERYTHING! They are not overly sweet, they are made with fresh orange zest, they have delightful bursts of tangy fresh cranberries that burst while baking... and the best part is the buttery streusel topping. DELISH!
These muffins are perfect for Fall and Winter baking, but also great year-round if you stock up on cranberries and have them in the freezer for baking.
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Orange cranberry muffins
I love love love baking with cranberries. I just adore how they burst open when they bake, letting their juices stain the batter and give it a wonderful tangy flavor that balances the sweetness. I love how EASY cranberries are to bake with because they can be added to the batter whether frozen or fresh. No need to thaw!
Cranberries in muffins are the best. If you agree, then check out these cranberry date walnut muffins too.
The other wonderful flavor in these muffins is a bright citrus flavor thanks to orange juice and orange zest.
These muffins use a FRESH orange because you need about 1.5 teaspoons of orange zest and ¼ cup of orange juice. A navel orange is perfect for this because they have great skin for zesting. They're not the juiciest and don't yield a lot of juice, but you will definitely get at least ¼ cup from 1 orange.
The combination of orange and cranberry is a classic one for baking, and is one of my favorite muffin flavors. I also have this orange cranberry pound cake with orange icing that is absolutely amazing for the holidays, so be sure to check that one out too.
Ready to start baking?
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- ½ cup coconut oil (use refined coconut oil if you don't want a coconut flavor, or use a neutral-tasting vegetable oil)
- 1 cup sugar ("regular" white granulated sugar)
- 2 eggs, room temperature (it's OK if they're straight from the fridge because you forgot to take them out)
- ½ cup buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, you can use ½ cup milk with 1 teaspoon white vinegar stirred in... but if you do have buttermilk and have any left over, you can make these buttermilk crepes or this buttermilk smoothie)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest (zest the orange before juicing it. You'll need another ½ teaspoon zest for the streusel topping, so zest it all at once)
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour (or substitute up to 1 cup for whole wheat flour, or up to 2 cups for white whole wheat flour, which is a little "lighter" and less dense than regular whole wheat flour)
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1.5 cups fresh cranberries
For the streusel topping:
- ½ cup sugar (for a slightly different taste, brown sugar can be used)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted cold butter, cut into half-inch size pieces (or substitute half salted butter for a salty-sweet topping)
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
More muffin recipes: Banana Chia Muffins
Equipment
- Standard 12-cup muffin tin
- Muffin liners / paper inserts or non-stick cooking spray
- Zester
- Citrus juicer
- Mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons
More muffin recipes to try: Blueberry Wheat Germ Muffins
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners, or spray the tin with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, sugar, eggs, buttermilk, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla.
Slowly add in the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until just combined, it's OK if there are a few spots where the flour is not mixed in yet.
Fold in the cranberries, do not overmix.
Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups.
Make the streusel topping: In a small bowl, mix the sugar, flour, butter and orange zest. Use a fork or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the streusel is crumbly.
Sprinkle over the tops of each muffin.
Bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let muffins cool before they are removed from the muffin tins. Enjoy!!
More muffin recipes to try
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Orange Cranberry Muffins With Streusel Topping
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut oil - (or use a neutral-tasting vegetable oil)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs - room temperature
- ½ cup buttermilk - (or substitute ½ cup milk with 1 teaspoon white vinegar stirred in)
- 1 teaspoon orange zest - (zest the orange before juicing it. You'll need another ½ teaspoon zest for the streusel topping, so zest it all at once)
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1.5 cups cranberries - (fresh or frozen)
- ½ cup sugar - (for a slightly different taste, brown sugar can be used)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted cold butter - cut into half-inch size pieces (or substitute half salted butter for a salty-sweet topping)
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
Special equipment
- Muffin pan (standard 12-cup)
- Muffin liners or nonstick spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners, or spray the tin with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together ½ cup coconut oil, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, ½ cup buttermilk, ¼ cup orange juice, 1 teaspoon orange zest, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Slowly add in 2.5 cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix until just combined, it's OK if there are a few spots where the flour is not mixed in yet.
- Fold in the 1.5 cups cranberries, do not overmix.
- Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups.
- Make the streusel topping: In a small bowl, mix the ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup flour, 4 tablespoons butter and ½ teaspoon orange zest. Use a fork or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the streusel is crumbly.
- Sprinkle over the tops of each muffin.
- Bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let muffins cool before they are removed from the muffin tins. Enjoy!!
- If you liked this recipe, don't forget to give it a star rating and pin it on Pinterest!
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.