Living in warm northern California, where our summer temperatures regularly reach 100°F, it rarely feels like fall until the beginning of November. Days stay sunny and around 70-80°F clear through Halloween, with only an occasional puffy white cloud in the sky.
So when I woke up to rain this past Saturday morning—not just a sprinkle, not just a drizzle, but full-on rain—I thought I was still dreaming and checked the calendar for the date. October 25. Hmm…
I stared out the window for a few minutes like a tiny baby seeing water falling from the sky for the first time, full of awe and wonder, before eventually wandering back to my closet to pull out running clothes, with the plan of hopping on the treadmill.
However, I logged onto my computer for a bit first to check Facebook and respond to Tweets. (A blogger’s work is never done!) When I resurfaced twenty minutes later and glanced outside, a beam of sunlight shone down between two pale gray fluffy clouds. The rain had completely stopped!
So I tentatively started jogging outside past the elementary school and through the dog park. By the time I arrived home an hour later, the sun had entirely replaced the clouds! What strange weather we have…
And once I pulled off my sneakers and walked into the kitchen, I immediately grabbed one of these Cranberry Orange Muffins. Their cute orange huge and bright citrus flavor exactly matched the sunshine outside!
Earlier this month, a reader asked if I had a recipe for cranberry orange muffins, and I stared at my computer screen in surprise. I adore that flavor combination—it was the first scone flavor I ever tried as a 14-year-old and I even turned it into granola last fall—but I hadn’t created a classic healthy muffin recipe with it yet!
So here’s the result! These easy muffins are soft, tender, and have the perfect crumb. They’re packed with bright citrus flavor with the perfect tangy complement from the dried cranberries. Although maybe a little too perfect… I ate way too many in one day!
The first step on the instructions may sound a little strange. You need to combine the dried cranberries with water and microwave for a bit. This actually rehydrates the cranberries and softens them so they aren’t quite so tough and chewy. It also ensures that the muffins stay moist. Otherwise, the dried cranberries would soak up moisture from the batter while they baked, which would dry out the muffins.
You’ll need one large orange for these muffins. Yes, you could use a carton of OJ instead, but nothing beats the pure flavor of freshly squeezed. And since you absolutely need the zest, you might as well juice the orange too.
Yes, that’s right. Do not skip the zest! That’s actually where the majority of the orange flavor comes from. If your orange doesn’t yield a tablespoon of zest, just use whatever you get—whether it’s over or under. It won’t matter too much!
Split fresh out of the oven or toasted with a little pat of butter melting in between the tender crumbs, these Cranberry Orange Muffins just can’t be beat! They’re the perfect cool-weather breakfast… And snack… And dessert… And…
Now you can probably see why mine are already gone!
These classic muffins are really soft and tender! They’re full of bright citrus flavor with the perfect tangy complement from the dried cranberries. Store any leftovers in a zip-topped bag in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Reheat individual muffins in the microwave for 12-16 seconds.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat 12 standard-sized muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add the dried cranberries and water to a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap, and microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds. Let the bowl sit while preparing the muffin batter.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and zest in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the agave. Add in the yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the orange juice. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Drain the hydrated dried cranberries, and gently fold into the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 17-20 minutes, or until barely golden brown and the centers feel fairly firm to the touch. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, I used as follows: 1 c (120g) millet flour, ½ c (60g) brown rice flour, ½ c (60g) tapioca flour, and 2 tsp (6g) xanthan gum.
You may also substitute regular whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, or all-purpose flour in place of the white whole wheat flour.
Fresh chopped cranberries may be substituted in place of the dried cranberries and water.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
Amy, I followed the recipe exactly except for a 1:1 substitute of raw honey for agave.
Unfortunately, it didn’t come out well … I think the recipe has too much liquid for the amount of solid ingredients.
Next time, I will try 1/2 cup organic raw sugar as the sweetener instead.
Sincerely,
DK
It means a lot that you tried this recipe of mine too, David! I’m happy to help figure out what might have happened with your batch, if you’d like. To do so, I have some questions for you!
What happened with your batch of muffins? Knowing more details — besides they didn’t turn out as expected — would be really helpful! (Taste, texture, appearance, that sort of thing. 🙂 )
Would you mind describing the consistency of your batter? Was it really thin and liquidy, similar to pure maple syrup? Somewhat thicker than that and more viscous, like honey? Even thicker, like brownie batter?
Other than the raw honey, did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe? (Including those listed in the Notes section!)
Did you measure the honey using cups or a kitchen scale?
Did you measure the orange juice by cups, a kitchen scale, or “1 large orange?”
Did you happen to add the ⅓ cup of water to your muffin batter, by any chance?
Once I know your answers to all of those questions, I’ll have a much better idea of the potential culprits and how to fix them!