Easy Orange Cranberry Muffins

A pile of freshly baked Orange Cranberry Muffins are on top of a vintage cake resting rack.

Muffins are always a popular treat as they are a great single serve snack ideal for morning or afternoon tea or popped in a lunch box. These Orange Cranberry Muffins are one of the quickest and easiest to make, as everything is prepared in a food processor. A whole orange is used in this recipe (yes, everything but the pips) so there is no waste. They are golden and delicious with pops of sweetness from the cranberries. I have included dairy-free and gluten-free options too. You’ll have these muffins made and ready to eat in 30 minutes!

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 12

Resting Time: 3

Total Time: 30

Course: Snack, Sweet

Cuisine: Australian

Keyword: cupcakes, easy orange cranberry muffins, easy orange muffins, easy whole orange muffins, muffins, orange muffins, whole orange and cranberry muffins, whole orange muffins

Servings:

Calories: 197kcal

Author: Katrina | Katy's Food Finds

Equipment

food processor
12 hole Muffin Tray

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients:

1 large orange washed, cut into quarters and each quarter cut in half - discard any pips
3/4 c sugar
1 large egg
1/2 c milk or orange juice
100 g butter, melted (see note 1 for dairy-free substitute - 75ml canola oil)

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/2 c plain flour or use plain gluten-free flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 c dried cranberries (see notes for substitutes)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C with the rack just below the middle. Lightly butter or spray the muffin tin or use muffin liners.
In the bowl of a food processor, add the orange pieces and the sugar. Process until the orange is very finely chopped. Add the rest of the wet ingredients (egg, milk and melted butter) and process until combined.
Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda straight into the food processor over the orange mix and sprinkle in the cranberries and nuts (if using). Pulse, or process in short bursts, until the mixture is just combined. Do not over mix (see notes).
Divide the mixture evenly between your 12 hole muffin tin. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and the centre of the muffins spring back when pressed. Remove the tray from the oven and allow the muffins to cool for 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack. Enjoy these muffins warm or at room temperature.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. These muffins are also suitable to freeze for up to 3 months.

To Make in a Cake Tin or Loaf Tin:

Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 20cm round or square cake tin or loaf tin. Line the base with baking paper.
Follow the instructions as above but bake for 30-40 minutes at this lower temperature.

Notes

Note 1: To make these muffins dairy-free, simply use orange juice instead of milk (or use a milk alternative) and instead of the butter use 75ml of any mild flavoured cooking oil (eg. canola or grapeseed). Please note the amount of oil used is only 3/4 the amount of butter used.

Gluten-free muffins - use plain gluten-free flour and baking powder.

Do not over-mix the muffins when the dry ingredients are added. Over-mixing the batter results in dense muffins.

Substitutes for cranberries: These muffins can be made plain without cranberries, or you can substitute the cranberries for other dried fruits or even chocolate chips. Here are some suggestions:

Finely diced dates or apricots, or sultanas. Chocolate chips are also a nice option (if using white chocolate I would reduce the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup).

Optional: You can also add 1/2 cup chopped nuts to this recipe. Walnuts, pecans or pistachios work well with the orange flavour of these muffins.

You can also ice the muffins or cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. The recipe I use is here in the notes section of my Easy Banana Cake .

Nutrition

Have you cooked one of my recipes? I’d love you to tag me @katysfoodfinds or #katysfoodfinds!