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Cozy Cranberry Orange Christmas Muffins: Easy Holiday Recipe

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These tender, festive muffins combine tart cranberries with sweet orange zest for a perfect Christmas morning treat. Quick to make with simple ingredients, they’re a crowd-pleasing holiday favorite.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
  • Zest from 2 large oranges
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ¾ cup (180ml) buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups (170g) fresh or frozen cranberries (not thawed if frozen)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease well.
  2. Zest and juice the oranges. Wash oranges first, then grate off about 2 tablespoons of zest. Cut oranges in half and squeeze out 2 tablespoons of juice. Set both aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and orange zest. Rub together with fingertips for about 1 minute until fragrant.
  4. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the sugar mixture. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
  5. In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and orange juice until smooth and slightly frothy.
  6. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined (about 10-12 strokes). A few lumps are fine; do not overmix.
  7. Add cranberries to the batter and fold in with as few strokes as possible until evenly distributed.
  8. Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full. Sprinkle a little extra sugar on top of each muffin.
  9. Bake in the center of the oven for 18-22 minutes, until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  10. Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Don’t overmix the batter; lumps are fine. Use room temperature ingredients for best results. Rotate the pan halfway through baking for even browning. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and add an extra tablespoon of buttermilk. For dairy-free, use melted coconut oil and almond milk with lemon juice. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: cranberry orange muffins, Christmas muffins, holiday muffins, easy muffin recipe, cranberry muffins, orange muffins, Christmas breakfast

Find it online: https://dinadishes.com/cozy-cranberry-orange-christmas-muffins-easy-holiday-recipe/