Cranberry Orange and Pecan Muffins
Cranberry Orange and Pecan Muffins are the perfect fall breakfast or afternoon snack for this time of year when fresh cranberries are on sale everywhere. These muffins are moist and soft with a perfect balance of both sweet and tart flavors.
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 175kcal
Equipment
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter softened
- 10 tablespoons packed light brown sugar this is equal to ½ cup + 2 tablespoons, but is confusing written that way
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ⅛ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup whole milk buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ½ cup fresh cranberries chopped
- ⅓ cup pecan halves chopped
Topping
- 2 tablespoons fresh cranberries chopped
- 2 tablespoons pecan halves chopped
- 2 teaspoons sanding sugar
Instructions
- Cream together butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a mixer using the paddle attachment. Scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice to make sure all the sugar gets incorporated into the butter.¼ cup salted butter, 10 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- While that is mixing, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a standard muffin tin with paper liners for 12 muffins.
- Add the egg and mix it in fully.1 egg
- Beat in the vanilla extract.½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, combine all-purpose flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. You can sift it if you want, but I like to just give it a nice fluff with a fork to disperse the ingredients in the flour and break up any big chunks.1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ⅛ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Now, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Add about a third of the flour mixture - beat well - half the buttermilk - beat well - a third of the flour mixture - beat well - the rest of the buttermilk - beat well - the rest of the flour - beat well. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure that everything gets mixed in well.½ cup whole milk buttermilk
- Now, fold in the orange zest, then ½ cup of pecans and ½ cup of cranberries.1 teaspoon orange zest, ½ cup fresh cranberries, ⅓ cup pecan halves
- Scoop batter into the muffin tin - I like to use a ¼ or ⅓ cup measure to try to maintain consistency in the size of the muffins. Ideally, you want to fill them about ⅔ of the way full.
- Now is the time to use the reserved pecans and cranberries. Sprinkle a little of each onto each of the muffins, then bake for 10 minutes.2 tablespoons pecan halves, 2 tablespoons fresh cranberries
- After 10 minutes, crack open the oven door and sprinkle the muffins with some sanding sugar - I like to use large cane sugar crystals or gold sanding sugar but you can use whatever you have.2 teaspoons sanding sugar
- Finish baking for 10 - 12 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins sit in the pan for about 5 minutes to cool, then remove them and serve or let them cool on a rack. Eat them while they are still warm, but let them cool to room temperature for storage. Once they reach room temperature, they can be stored in an air-tight container or plastic bag.
Notes
This recipe yields 12 muffins.
How to Store Cranberry Orange Muffins
Once cooled, store these muffins in an airtight container for 3 - 5 days. If you aren't going to eat all 12 right away, these muffins freeze really well. They are a great breakfast to make in advance for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning when you have guests coming to visit - take them out of the freezer before going to bed and heat them up in the toaster oven, air fryer, microwave, or oven for a few minutes in the morning to get them nice and warm. We like to spread a little honey butter on them.Recipe Tips
- Make these muffins with fresh cranberries while the stores are selling them for really cheap and freeze them. They are an easy and delicious breakfast to have on hand.
- If you don't like cranberries, you can make this exact same recipe using blueberries and lemon zest. They are delicious!
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 173mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 154IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg