Tart cranberries, loads of freshly grated orange zest and dark chocolate chips make these cranberry orange muffins irresistible. Plus, they take minutes to whip up so you could be enjoying these in no time!
The holiday season is definitely underway in our home.
While we don’t have any decorating done yet, shopping has begun, menu planning has started, I’m baking every weekend and have already enjoyed lots of eggnog lattes.
Do you have any holiday traditions?
Hubby and I definitely have some! To kick off the season, on December 23rd (known as Tibb’s Eve in Newfoundland), we make seafood chowder (which is always a treat).
Then, from there, it’s all about good eats and celebrating with friends and family.
Christmas morning we usually ease into our day before going to my parent’s for a special celebratory meal. While wearing our festive pajamas, hubby makes eggnog lattes for us in our favourite holiday mugs and we have a small bite to eat (being mindful not to fill up too much before the delicious turkey we’re soon about to have). Enter easy peasy cranberry orange muffins!
These muffins take minutes to prep and are made with some pretty simple ingredients, one of which is buttermilk. Buttermilk contributes to their richness, along with bursts of fresh cranberry. And who doesn’t love to start any day with something freshly baked?
Tips for Making these Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Fresh cranberries were used in these muffins, but dried cranberries would work in a pinch. Though, they won’t have they same pop of tartness/freshness.
- Dark chocolate chips were used here, but milk chocolate chips would work lovely instead.
- Don’t have store-bought buttermilk? Make your own buttermilk recipe. It’s easy (just milk with a little vinegar or lemon juice)!
- When adding the cranberries, fold them in with a spatula. Don’t use the mixer. That way, there’s less chance of them breaking up and bleeding into the batter.
More Easy Muffin Recipes
Tell me, what’s some favourite holiday traditions of yours? I’d love to hear!
If you make these cranberry orange muffins, be sure to leave a comment below!
Cranberry Orange Muffins With Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- Baking spray, to grease muffin pan
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into a measuring cup and leveled off with a butter knife
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1.5 teaspoons orange extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1.5 tablespoons orange zest, from 1 to 2 oranges (depending on their size)
- ⅔ cup dark chocolate chips, plus more to taste for the top before baking
- 1.5 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-count muffin pan with muffin liners and spray with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a mixing bowl with a hand mixer), cream butter with brown sugar until combined and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes (stop to scrape sides of bowl, as necessary, with a rubber spatula).
- Reduce speed and add eggs (one at a time) to butter mixture, blending until just combined.
- Add both extracts and orange zest and blend about 30 seconds.
- Alternating between the reserved flour mixture and buttermilk (in two additions), add to mixer, blending in after each addition.
- Add chocolate chips and blend until just combined. FOLD in cranberries with a spatula (you want to be a bit delicate as to not break too many cranberries).
- Distribute batter into prepared muffin liners.
- Top each muffin with a few extra chocolate chips.
- Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick or cake tester inserted in the centre of the muffins comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then carefully remove muffins onto a cooling rack. Serve and enjoy!
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
