Cranberry Orange Muffins (Bakery-Style)
Festive cranberry orange muffins feature cranberries, fresh orange juice, and a touch of orange zest. An orange glaze adds even more orange flavor! I love using fresh cranberries when they're easily available at the grocery store. But frozen cranberries can work when they're not in season.
Ingredients
For the Cranberry Orange Muffins:
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (14g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butte room temperature
- 1 cup (199g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (71g) light brown sugar packed
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest finely grated
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract optional
- 1 cup (227g) full-fat sour cream room temperature
- 1/3 cup (76ml) orange juice
- 2 cups cranberries fresh or frozen; if using frozen, do NOT thaw
For the Orange Glaze (Optional):
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice more if needed
- 1 teaspoon orange zest, finely grated
Instructions
For the Cranberry Orange Muffins:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and spray lightly with non-stick baking spray. Set aside until needed.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom; set aside.
- In a separate large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars, orange zest, vanilla extract, and orange extract. And beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Turn mixer off and set batter aside for a moment. In a spouted bowl or measuring cup, add the sour cream and orange juice and whisk well to combine.
- With the mixer speed on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Be sure not to over mix here. Fold the cranberries into the batter, mixing just until evenly combined.
- Divide the batter evenly among prepared muffin tins.
- Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, or with a just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool muffins 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
For the Orange Glaze:
- In a medium mixing bowl combine the confectioners' sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. Whisk until smooth, adding more orange juice as needed to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over the muffins right before serving.
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