These are seriously the BEST cranberry-orange muffins. Tender, fluffy, whole grain, lightly sweetened with little pops of tart fresh cranberry in every bite. Best part? They’re made in 1 bowl in under 30 minutes, start-to-finish!
Let’s get baking!
A few weeks ago I was craving lemon poppyseed muffins, but upon setting out to make them I realized:
1. I had no poppy seeds. Does anyone actually keep poppy seeds in their pantry any more? None of the stores near me even sell them!
2. I had no lemons. Those I could find at the store, but while I was there I spotted the first fresh cranberries of the season, then bought oranges instead of lemons, and here were are. Making cranberry orange muffins instead of lemon poppyseed.
I’m so glad I didn’t make the lemon poppyseed muffins, because these cranberry orange ones are utterly perfect.
They’re super tender and moist thanks to greek yogurt, olive oil, and fresh orange juice, subtly sweet from just 1/3 cup of sugar, light and fluffy from white whole wheat flour, and full of flavor thanks to vanilla and orange zest.
It’s a tough life I lead.
Typically I test my recipes 3-5 times before sharing them with you, just to be sure everything is perfect and can be replicated in your kitchens, and because I rarely get a recipe right on the first try; with these muffins, they were perfect from the first trial. I still made them three more times because we ate them all and needed more, then were invited to brunch and needed another batch, and then had extra cranberries that needed to be used up so, sure, I guess I’ll make more muffins if I have to.
If you’re a cranberry-orange fan (or an annoyed lemon poppyseed lover) you’re going to love these simple, wholesome little muffins.
Try them out and let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your muffins and share it with me on Instagram so I can see!
Whole Wheat Cranberry Orange Muffins
Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 9 muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup full-fat greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Zest from 1 large orange (about 1 Tablespoon)
- 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice (from 1 large orange)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a standard muffin tin with 9 paper liners, or grease well with olive oil or butter.
- Roughly chop the cranberries and set aside.
- Place yogurt, oil, orange zest and juice, eggs, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add all remaining ingredients (including chopped cranberries) and stir until combined.
- Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to portion the batter out evenly in the muffin tin.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden and cooked through. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
- Serve immediately or let cool completely and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.
NOTES:
White whole wheat has a lighter texture and more mild flavor compared to regular whole wheat flour. If you can’t find it, half all-purpose and half whole wheat will work in its place, as will spelt, einkhorn, or an all-purpose gluten-free blend. I haven’t tried it, but suspect almond flour would work well here, perhaps with a tablespoon or two of coconut flour to help hold its structure.