My love for cranberry orange muffins started young. We used to have a great grocery/general store in Columbus called The Andersons. The Andersons was one of those stores where you could buy a bottle of Dom Perignon, local zucchini, and paint. They also had a great bakery that started my love for cranberry orange muffins. Sometimes my mom and I would split one as a treat, and that was it. Love at first taste.
Unfortunately The Andersons closed a few years ago, taking my muffins with them. This means I now have to make my own. After trying multiple recipes, this one is my favorite. It’s a play on my Perfect Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping and I have to say, these are pretty perfect too. While these muffins are good all year, they would make the perfect Thanksgiving morning breakfast or really anytime this holiday season!
Cranberry Orange Muffins:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Zest of 1 large orange, about 2 tablespoons
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 cups cranberries, washed and drained – if using frozen, do not thaw
Streusel:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Method:
To make the streusel topping: Cut the butter into the other streusel ingredients in a medium bowl. This can be done with your fingers or a fork, until the butter is in about pea size pieces. Set the bowl aside.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
To make the muffin batter: Using a mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla, orange zest, and orange juice.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture alternately with the milk. Mix until just incorporated.
Fold cranberries into batter. Line a cupcake/muffin pan with about 14-16 paper liners. Fill each about 2/3 full of batter. Top with streusel topping. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Enjoy!
This recipe was adapted from Jordan Marsh’s Blueberry Muffins from The New York Times Cooking.
Equipment:
I have these Goldtouch cupcake/muffin pans and love them.
This is my favorite Microplane for zesting citrus.
I love this scoop for the perfect and uniform amount of muffin batter.
