Today I’m sharing a recipe for Cranberry Orange Muffins with Struesel Topping and Orange Glaze that would make a great gift or addition to your holiday breakfast table. They’re easy to make – no mixer required! – and are bursting with tart fresh cranberries, crunchy pecans and zesty orange flavor.
One of my favorite holiday flavor combinations is cranberry and orange. I love the balance between tart and sweet and there’s just something about the smell of a freshly zested orange that feels so festive to me. It’s important that you don’t skip on the fresh cranberries. They really make this recipe special and would not be matched by sweetened dried cranberries.
Here’s the scoop on how I made muffin magic happen with these holiday-themed ingredients.
In this recipe I went a mixture of half white flour and half whole wheat pastry flour. I’m typically a “eyeball and don’t measure” kind of cook but when I’m baking I get serious about being exact. One of my most helpful tips to ensure successful baking is to measure out your flour using a food scale. It makes such a huge difference!
After measuring out my flour, I tossed it with the chopped cranberries and pecans. This step is important for ensuring that the cranberries didn’t sink to the bottom of the muffins while baking.
My secret to making no mixer required muffins, quick breads, cakes and cupcakes is to vegetable oil, canola oil or coconut oil instead of having to break out the stand mixer to cream butter and sugar together. It gives the same great taste while keeping prep simple and efficient.
After prepping the cranberry orange muffin batter and equally distributing it into a 12-muffin tin, I made the streusel topping by combining pecans, flour, sugar, cinnamon and cold cut butter. I generously sprinkled it on top of the muffins and they were ready for the oven.
After just 20 minutes of baking, my house smelled amazing and the cranberry orange muffins were ready. While I do love coffee cakes and quick breads, you can’t beat the short baking time on muffins.
The glaze is a simple mix of powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest that is whisked together and drizzled over the muffins. I encourage you not to skip the glaze. The extra pop of orange flavor in the glaze really helps to tie together the cranberry orange theme of the recipe.
Give these cranberry orange muffins a try if you’re in search of a quick, easy and festive addition to your holiday breakfast spread or a homemade gift for someone on your list!
Cranberry Orange Muffins with Streusel Topping and Orange Glaze
Print
Cranberry Orange Muffins with Streusel Topping and Orange Glaze
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 Muffins 1x
Description
These Cranberry Orange Muffins with Streusel Topping are bursting with tart fresh cranberries, crunchy pecans and zesty orange flavor and finished off with an orange glaze.
Ingredients
FOR THE MUFFINS
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (125g) whole wheat pastry flour (you can leave this out and use 2 cups of all-purpose if you prefer!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chopped cranberries, fresh or frozen (do not thaw)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil, canola oil or coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange zest
FOR THE STREUSEL
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
FOR THE GLAZE
1 cup powdered sugar
1–2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest (or more to taste)
Instructions
FOR THE MUFFINS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-tin muffin cup with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cranberries and pecans together in a large bowl until the cranberries are coated with flour and ingredients are combined.
In another bowl, whisk together egg, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk in buttermilk, oil, vanilla and orange zest. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Gently mix dry and wet ingredients together until just moistened, careful not to overmix.
Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling them about three-fourths of the way full.
FOR THE STREUSEL
Place pecans, flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter in a small bowl and use your fingers to work the butter into the other ingredients to form a crumbly mixture.
FOR THE GLAZE
Whisk together powdered sugar, orange zest and orange juice. Set aside. (You can wait until after the muffins cook to do this.)
BRING IT ALL TOGETHER
Evenly distribute streusel topping over muffins and place in center of a preheated oven. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until tops are set and spring back when pressed down. Oven times will vary so start checking them at 18 minutes.
Let the muffins cool and then drizzle with glaze and serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
MUFFIN PINNABLE
