Every year, I always wait until the day after Thanksgiving to partake in anything Christmas-related. Although stores start stocking winter holiday merchandise before trick-or-treaters even buy their Halloween costumes, I prefer to celebrate one holiday at a time!
On that Friday, my family and I typically watch our first Christmas movie of the year, almost always something classic like Ruldolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the older cartoon version), or A Flinstone Christmas (okay, not exactly a classic to anyone outside of our family, but super cute nonetheless!).
During that first weekend after Thanksgiving, we try to pull out our artificial tree (too many allergies run in our family for real ones anymore!), strands of brightly colored lights, and boxes of ornaments. As the decorating pro, Dad takes care of the tree, carefully fluffing its branches and arranging the miniature twinkling lights, and lets me help him while Mom and my brother begin unwrapping the ornaments, where they’ve been carefully cocooned in thick layers of paper towels to prevent them from breaking.
I also hold off on listening to any Christmas carols until that same day, but then for the next month, I play them on Spotify or the radio almost nonstop. Just like with movies, I gravitate towards the more traditional tunes originally written and produced well before my generation, rather than the albums put out by many of today’s popular recording artists. (The result of being a band geek for so many years!)
Although I usually kick off my holiday baking with festive cookies (these and these are some of my favorites!), I changed my plans this year since we still had so many Thanksgiving desserts left over. Instead, I baked these Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins as a sweet and healthy breakfast treat for us to enjoy while we decorated. With no butter, refined flour or sugar and just 36 calories, they disappeared incredibly quickly!
But… Ummm… I… Well, I kind of ate as many as the rest of my family combined… ? Shh, don’t tell them!
To make these healthy mini muffins, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour. I know; it sounds strange, doesn’t it? White flour and whole wheat flour are usually two totally different things! However, white whole wheat flour is actually made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This softer strain of wheat gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture very similar to that of all-purpose flour, which really lets the orange flavor shine! (Bonus: It still has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour, like extra fiber!)
For that bright citrus flavor, you’ll mix in both freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest. Don’t skip the zest! It actually provides the majority of the orange flavor, and those little flecks in the batter look so festive. You’ll need about 2 large oranges to grate enough zest.
As for the other half of the fruity flavors, you’ll use fresh cranberries. I absolutely love fresh cranberries, much more than dried, because they have a much purer, more natural flavor. (I even add them to my favorite protein smoothie in place of the bananas—it’s the best combination!) Because I’m much too lazy to finely dice them by hand, I run them through my food processor instead. It only takes about a minute, rather than ten times that time if using a knife!
Because this recipe only requires 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (or butter!), the rest of its tender texture comes from one of my favorite ingredients in healthier baking. Can you guess what it is? That’s right—Greek yogurt! It adds the same moisture to the batter as extra oil or butter for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your muffins a protein boost, too!
Rather than refined sugar, you’ll sweeten these with another one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s also highly concentrated. You just need 1 ½ teaspoons! This is the kind I buy because I love its warm vanilla flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste like with some other stevia products. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I always buy mine online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
One last tip! If using liners, you must spray the liners with nonstick cooking spray. Low-fat muffin batters (and cupcake batters, too!) tend to stick to liners like superglue, so this little trick helps the liners easily peel away from the muffins. If you forget, simply pop the muffins inside of an airtight container for 24 hours. That helps loosen the liners!
Are you ready to try these delicious treats? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your mini muffins and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins | | Print |
- 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (14g) orange zest (about 2 large)
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla crème stevia
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 large)
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
- 1 cup (110g) fresh cranberries, finely diced
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat 32 mini muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla crème stevia. Stir in the Greek 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, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in the cranberries.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch. Cool in the muffin cups for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
I highly recommend using the vanilla crème stevia! It's one of my favorite ingredients, and you'll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too. If you prefer, 8-10 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave may be substituted for the vanilla crème stevia, and the milk should be reduced to 1-3 tablespoons to compensate for the added liquid.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
To quickly dice the cranberries, add them to a food processor, and pulse until they’re no larger than ¼ of their original size.
Frozen and thawed cranberries that have been patted dry to remove any excess moisture may be substituted for the fresh. In a pinch, ½ cup of diced dried cranberries that have been hydrated may be substituted. To hydrated the dried cranberries, add them to a microwave-safe bowl, add water until it rises ½” above the cranberries, and cover the top with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the cranberries sit while preparing the scone dough. Just before mixing them in, drain and pat dry.
Be VERY careful if using liners! Generously coat the liners with nonstick cooking spray before adding the muffin batter. This batter will stick to liners like superglue if they aren’t coated with cooking spray.
If you prefer, this recipe will yield 12 standard sized muffins. The baking temperature remains the same. Begin checking on them after about 18 minutes. The muffins will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops feel firm to the touch.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, lower sugar}
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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Healthy Cranberry Orange Scones
♥ Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins
♥ Whole Wheat Cranberry Sweet Rolls
♥ Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Mini Cranberry Gingerbread Cheesecakes
♥ Dark Chocolate Cranberry Coffee Cake
♥ Cranberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies
I have to tell you a little story, I got an order from a friend of mine who is a yoga teacher. She is Gluten Free and requested Cranberry Orange Muffins for this coming weekend. So as I was searching my folders for a recipe your email came into my in box with this recipe! It was meant to be so I will be making them now. Thank you Amy xoxo
Oh my goodness! That’s so special Beverley. I can’t wait to hear what you and your friend think of the muffins! ♡
Can I use blueberries instead?
Yes! If you’re making the mini muffins as written, I’d recommend wild blueberries because their smaller size will do better and allow the mini muffins to bake more evenly in the mini muffin cups. (My grocery store doesn’t regularly stock fresh wild blueberries, but they have fantastic frozen ones available all year round!) If using regular sized blueberries, I’d recommend making the muffins in a standard sized muffin tin instead. 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of them Shiri!
I love the idea of the Greek yogurt and use it often in baking, but I was wondering -post Thanksgiving I have a bunch of buttermilk I’m trying to use. Do you think that would Could work as a substitute for the yogurt?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Trish! I’d actually recommend using the buttermilk as a substitute for the nonfat milk, rather than the yogurt. The texture wouldn’t be the same if you substituted the buttermilk for the yogurt in this recipe. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try the mini muffins!
Thoughts on using dried cranberries instead of fresh? I have pineapple juice sweetened dried cranberries (no added sugar).
I actually answered that already in the Notes section underneath the Instructions! It can be easy to miss. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the muffins Jen!
My mouth is watering as I write this. Your recipes are always terrific and so beautifully photographed for the blog. My question is: Sorry if I missed it somewhere. Do you grease the pans if you are not using paper cups? I think that would be easier than spraying paper cups, Unless a light spraying suffices. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your sweet words, Annabelle! I truly appreciate it! 🙂 Yes, you must spray the pans, even if you aren’t using paper liners. (See Step 1!) I can’t wait to hear what you think of these!
Looks delicious!
Is this a batter I can make the day before and take on a trip to bake?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Mae! I don’t recommend making the batter until just before you’re ready to bake these muffins. The baking powder and baking soda begin to react once they’re mixed into the liquid ingredients, so your muffins won’t rise properly if you don’t bake them right away. However, they reheat really well, if your main goal is to serve them warm! I like to microwave them on 30% power until they’re warmed all the way through. (The lower power level helps prevent them from turning tough or dry!)
I’d love to hear what you think of these muffins if you try making them!