Description
Anera’s Delightful Cranberry Orange Muffins combine tangy fresh cranberries with zesty orange flavors, baked to a perfect golden finish with a crunchy turbinado sugar topping. These jumbo muffins are moist, fluffy, and ideal for breakfast or a sweet snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Additional Ingredients
- 1½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw if frozen)
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (for a crunchy top)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a jumbo muffin pan with paper liners or grease the cups thoroughly to prevent sticking.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- Prepare Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, granulated sugar, eggs, whole milk, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and the sugar is dissolved.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold together until just combined. The batter should remain slightly lumpy to ensure a light texture.
- Incorporate Cranberries: Gently fold in the fresh or frozen cranberries, making sure they are evenly distributed throughout the batter without breaking them up.
- Fill Muffin Tins: Evenly spoon the muffin batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full to allow room for rising.
- Add Topping: Sprinkle a tablespoon of turbinado sugar on top of each filled muffin cup to create a crunchy, sweet topping after baking.
- Bake: Place the muffin pan in the preheated oven and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool: Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Use fresh or frozen cranberries without thawing to prevent the batter from turning pink and to retain the tartness.
- Filling muffin cups about ¾ full helps achieve perfectly domed muffins with space to rise.
- Turbinado sugar adds a delightful crunchy texture and sweetness to the muffins’ tops.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute whole milk with almond or oat milk.
