Fresh Cranberry Muffins are loaded with tangy pops of cranberry ~ they’re a delicious way to celebrate the unique color and flavor of my favorite winter fruit. This easy one bowl recipe proves that comfort food can definitely be bright and fresh!
Fresh cranberry muffins are a winter holiday tradition
Baking with fresh cranberries is one of the great joys of the fall and winter season for me. I adore them for their super tart, bright flavor, and that color! I use them in everything from smoothies to pork roast.
If you’re a lemon lover, I think you’re bound to be a cranberry lover too, the two fruits share a tart tang like no other. (My mouth waters just looking at that bright pink juice dribbling out of the muffins!)
My basic muffin recipe is no fail and so adaptable
I’ve used this same basic batter for many of my recent muffin recipes on the blog because when something works, I go with it. It’s got a super fluffy texture, rises well, and is very easy to adapt to different flavors and add-ins.
- Pear Muffins with Hazelnut Streusel
- Orange and Cardamom Muffins
- Easy Oat Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar
- Perfect Black Raspberry Muffins
A dusting of sparkling sugar makes these cranberry muffins Christmas morning material
I love my sparkling sugar when I want a little bit of a finishing touch for cakes, muffins, or pies, but I don’t want to fuss with making a separate crumb topping or glaze. It gives a sparkle and crunch to the top of these muffins, and the little extra sweet with the tart berries is perfect.
Sparkling sugar
Sparkling sugar is a decorative sugar that has a large crystal structure. You can add it before baking, or sprinkle it on just as your baked goods come out of the oven. Often I’ll do both 😉
You can use fresh or frozen cranberries for these muffins
Be sure to save some cranberries for these muffins, and when you finally run out of fresh, dig into your frozen stash. When baking with frozen berries it’s best not to thaw them, because they can become watery: I like to use them straight from the freezer instead.
variation suggestions
- add the zest of an orange to the batter – orange and cranberry is an incredible combination!
- add sliced almonds or chopped walnuts for extra flavor and crunch
- use any other kind of berries – fresh or frozen – that you like in place of the cranberries
- add some winter spices like cinnamon and clove
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Fresh Cranberry Muffins
Equipment
- 12 cup muffin pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup milk, or half and half
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract (or substitute vanilla extract)
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 3 Tbsp sparkling sugar, for topping (optional) Find sparkling sugar online here
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line with muffin tin liners.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the vegetable oil, milk, and eggs, and almond extract, and whisk everything together until well blended.
- Add the cranberries and fold to combine.
- Divide the batter into the muffin tins, and top with the sparkling sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes until risen and just starting to turn golden on top.
- Allow to cool in the muffin tins before removing.
Nutrition
70 Comments
Susan
November 28, 2021 at 3:59 pmAll your recipes look so,so good and easy to make,I just retired and I am going to dig right into trying as many as I can ,thanks so much,??
Sue Moran
November 28, 2021 at 4:17 pmEnjoy, Susan!
Pam
November 28, 2021 at 10:14 amHow would I adapt to make 6 jumbo muffins? Different temperature? Baking time? Appreciate your help, even if it’s just an educated guess. I can’t wait to try these. My husband loves Costco’s jumbo muffins but he shouldn’t have that much sugar . Making a muffin that LOOKS like Costco’s but tastes better and IS better for him is my goal. Thank you for your help!
Barbara Armstrong
November 21, 2021 at 11:14 amDelicious cranberry muffins! Just what I hoped for. I followed the recipe exactly except for adding a rounded teaspoon of orange zest and also a bit of juice from the orange in place of so e of the milk. The muffins are flavorful and moist! Delicious!
Sue Moran
November 21, 2021 at 11:41 amLove your tweaks!
Susan
November 14, 2021 at 12:15 pmI loved this recipe. I used cranberries from a small farm on Cape Cod, and they tend to be small and tart, which we love. I added some walnuts and a wee bit more sugar and a little less oil,
Susan
November 14, 2021 at 12:17 pmAddendum.. also added more cranberries!!!
Sue Moran
November 14, 2021 at 3:42 pmSounds absolutely delicious!
Nate
October 25, 2021 at 9:36 amThe muffin itself tastes fine, but I think I went wrong somewhere with the cranberries. This is the most bitter thing with cranberries I have ever eaten. I got the cranberries from a local farm stand next to a cranberry bog. Maybe they weren’t ripe? Either way, they ended up being nearly inedible.
Sue Moran
October 25, 2021 at 10:00 amHmmmm, maybe your cranberries were extra sour, try adding a bit more sugar next time to compensate.
Vicky
October 22, 2021 at 2:03 pmDear Sue, love your recipes but is it possible to include metric weights/measurements in them?
I live in the UK and although I’m used to lbs & ozs , I’m not a fan of cup measurements .
Many thanks, Vicky .
Sue Moran
October 22, 2021 at 2:29 pmYes, Vicky, I now include them for all new recipes, but many of the older recipes don’t have them. Look for the conversion button at the bottom of the recipes. I’ll check this one and add them for you.
Lisa
October 15, 2021 at 6:43 pmMade these today….they were excellent! I loved the idea of just throwing everything in one bowl…not having to chop the cranberries was great. They had a nice texture and the tartness was balanced by the sparkling sugar on top. I will be making these often….a keeper! 🙂
Sue Moran
October 15, 2021 at 7:47 pmThanks Lisa 🙂
Mary Houle
October 14, 2021 at 8:28 amThank you for this recipe that doesn’t take TOO much sugar. Always looking for ways to cut it.
Sue Moran
October 14, 2021 at 8:48 amThanks Mary! Especially since these are breakfast muffins, I think less sugar is the way to go.
Janet
October 5, 2021 at 10:29 pmDo you think I could use about 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips in these muffins to balance out the tartness of the cranberries? Thank you!!
Sue Moran
October 6, 2021 at 6:33 amAbsolutely, great idea.
Debra
June 16, 2021 at 10:12 pmHaven’t tried yet. But going to make them this weekend and will def come back give 5 stars if good. I’m going to try cranberry walnut muffins with sparkling sugar topping. Yummmmmm can’t find cranberry muffins in the grocery store ever! Except with orange. Snd to me the orange zest ruins the cranberry flavor. So thanks for sharing your delicious recipe!