One of the nicest things about these Cranberry-OrangeStreusel Muffins other than their delicate sweet orange versus tart cranberry taste, is that the batter (and even the muffins themselves) can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen, making them readily available and fresh whenever you want them. The recipe can easily be doubled, if desired,
I love the marriage of cranberries and orange. Their flavors pair together so well. You can substitute rehydrated dried cranberries for the fresh cranberries if you need to do do. I like to rehydrate them in orange juice when I do substitute dried for fresh.
You see quite a few cranberry-orange recipes around the Christmas holidays, but I’m not stuck on that idea! I buy bags of cranberries when they are available fresh in the market and just toss the bags in my freezer. I always manage to use them up every year.
Do yourself and your mornings a favor. Make up a batch of these muffins for a quick grab and go breakfast. I usually bake them in large muffin tins so there’s plenty there to satisfy any appetite.
Enjoy, y’all. Thanks for stopping by.
Notes
To make ahead: Wrap the muffin tin tightly with plastic wrap sprayed with vegetable oil spray and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 1 month. Once the muffin batter is frozen, about 6 hours, the batter balls can be placed in a zipper-lock bag and stored in the freezer. Transfer the batter balls back to an oiled muffin tin before baking.
To bake: Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap the muffins and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes if refrigerated, or 35 to 40 minutes if frozen. Let the muffins cool in the pan 5 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
Muffins
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 ½ cups plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries (or thawed frozen), coarsely chopped
- Fine zest of 1 navel orange
Streusel
- 1 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup regular oats
- 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
Instructions
Muffins
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners and spray lightly with nonstick spray; set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in orange extract.
- Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and beat in half of the flour mixture, followed by a third of the yogurt.
- Beat in half of the remaining flour mixture, followed by half of the remaining yogurt; repeat with the remaining flour mixture and yogurt.
- Stir chopped cranberries and orange zest into finished batter, being careful not to let the zest clump. Portion the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin.
- Top with streusel.
Streusel
- In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients with a fork. Lightly top each muffin. Do not put too much streusel on a muffin or it will flatten the muffin.
- Bake at 375 degrees 25-30 minutes. Remove from muffin tin and cool slightly on a wire rack.
