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 having a special celebratory meal with family. 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
- Cooking 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)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ⅔ cup dark chocolate chips, plus more to taste for the top of the muffins before baking
- 1.5 cups fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-count muffin pan with muffin liners and spray with cooking 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, about 1 to 2 minutes (stop as necessary to scrape sides of bowl with a rubber spatula).
- Reduce speed and add eggs (one at a time) to butter mixture, blending until just combined.
- Add both orange extract, vanilla extract and orange zest and blend for 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 for 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.
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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!
Miriam
Christmas traditions are amazing – we always have our Christmas tree up as soon as they are available. I just love the smell of them 🙂 Christmas cookies and food in general are a huge part for us as well of course! Cranberry Orange Muffins sound like a wonderful treat this time of the year! Have a great weekend ahead, Dawn!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
I LOVE your traditions, Dawn! Especially the part about the eggnog lattes 😉 These muffins are holiday perfection. The flavours all go so well together!! We’re just starting to make our own family traditions, but you can bet they’ll mostly revolve around food, hah! I can’t wait to try these!
Ben|Havocinthekitchen
There’re not too many Christmas traditions in our house, especially culinary (Because I’m the person who doesn’t like to repeat one recipe every year; I always want to experiment). But I can say gingerbread cookies and cranberry pecan shortbread have been two things I’ve made every year (sometimes more than twice) for a course of 6 years or so…well, I guess that might be considered a tradition now. Also, as it’s going to be my first Christmas in Nova Scotia, I’m thinking of some seafood dishes as well, like a scallop risotto or super rich chowder, if you don’t mind 🙂 Cranberries are an excellent Christmas ingredient, so I’m going to 100% approve these guys. And eggnog lattes? That’s generous! How can I get one? 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
I love the idea of adding buttermilk to these muffins. Right now I feel like I’m making cranberry everything! These muffins need to be next on my list. Love that you’ve paired the cranberries with chocolate! That’s a great way to start the day!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Kathy! Me too! Love cranberries – so versatile 🙂 Hope you enjoy these muffins!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
I’ve made cranberry orange muffins tons of times Dawn and not once have I ever thought to add chocolate chips! Great idea! Can’t wait to give these a try! Pinned!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Mary Ann! Chocolate really adds a nice little somethin’ to the party 😉 Hope you love ’em 🙂
Marissa
The moment I saw these I thought, “I HAVE to make these for my mom!” All of her favorite flavors in one beautiful muffin. And I might have to eat a few myself too. 😉 Perfect for holiday breakfasts!
Girl Heart Food
YAY! That makes me so happy, Marissa!! Hope you guys enjoy them! Let me know when you try 🙂
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
I’m absolutely a huge fan of cranberry orange muffins, and we are totally twinning with the flavour combo today! I love that you added buttermilk to these muffins, and chocolate chips are a must when it comes to muffins! As for holiday prep, we are getting started. The lights went up outside yesterday, and some decorations will probably go up this weekend! I love to get it done early so we have lots of time to enjoy! Have a great week Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
Totally!! Yay – so exciting to be holiday decorating!! Starting to see stuff go up now…won’t be much longer for us 🙂 Have a wonderful week too, Leanne 🙂
Kevin
These look so tasty! Great idea to add in chocolate chip! YUM!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Kevin 🙂 Can’t go wrong with some chocolate to the mix!
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
All my favorites in one muffin…I’m making these for Thanksgiving morning.
Girl Heart Food
Yay! Thanks Karrie! Hope you love ’em 🙂
Milena
I saw on Instagram that cranberries, oranges and chocolate is a hot combo and was a bit baffled… But you’ve made me see the light, lol! Especially dark chocolate, mmm. These muffins are perfect to have in the manner you describe! Plus, I am all for wearing PJs all morning, Or not changing out of PJs at all if you have nowhere to go:) Pinned!
Girl Heart Food
Lol! Glad I did 😉 I love the way you think, Milena!! Thanks so much 🙂
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Loving the addition of chocolate chips to the already delicious cranberry orange combination. More deliciousness is always good 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Jennifer! A little chocolate is always a good idea if you ask me 😉
David @ Spiced
Oh, we definitely have our favorite holiday traditions here, too, Dawn! We do all of our decorating on the day after (American) Thanksgiving…so that means this Friday is decorating day. And I love to bake all throughout the holidays. And come Christmas morning, we always have coffee cake and sausage biscuits for brunch. We don’t do big breakfasts here that often, so that’s one of my favorites! I’m going to have to include this muffins in the holiday baking lineup, though. They sound delicious!
Girl Heart Food
How exciting!! Sausage biscuits sound wonderful!! So many fun things to look forward to! Thanks David 🙂
annie@ciaochowbambina
Nothing better than an easy peasy highly delicious homemade muffin for Christmas morning! This fits the bill, and then some!! Wishing you a lovely week, my friend! XOXO
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Annie! I totally agree 🙂 Same to you! XOXO
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
I love pretty much anything with cranberries and you know how I feel about chocolate :). These are just a dream breakfast! I can’t believe we’re talking about Christmas already. . .time just flies! Have a great week, Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
I do 😉 Thanks so much Kelsie! Have a great week too!