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
WANT TO TRY THESE CRANBERRY MUFFINS?
PIN THEM TO YOUR FAVORITE BAKING BOARD SO YOU DON’T LOSE THEM.
JOIN ME ON PINTEREST FOR MORE CREATIVE RECIPES ~ I LOVE TO PIN !
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
I was originally looking for a cranberry orange muffin recipe only to discover I was out of orange juice! This was a good substitute- the sweetness level was just right for my husband, not enough for our kids. I put a dollop of lemon curd on mine and it was perfect! I also substituted with Bob’s Red Mill GF flour and the texture was great.
These muffins are so delicious! Thank you for the recipe. Each time I go on your website, I salivate!
Delicious muffins. I followed the suggestions of some of the reviews and added semi-sweet chocolate chips. The sweetness of the chips plus the tartness of the cranberries was heaven. The amount of sugar in the recipe was 100% perfect. I used white sugar on top and it worked fine. The texture is fabulous. I wonder if butter would be better?
This recipe was not sweet enough for my liking. I added 1/3 cup sugar and baked for extra 4 minutes. Love everything else tho.
I really like these for breakfast muffins! I just swapped half the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour since I prefer the heartier taste. I made them with fresh cranberries, winter spices (cinnamon/nutmeg/cloves) and nuts, which I totally recommend. Thanks for this!
I loved this recipe and so did my family! Delicious BUT I used grape seed oil and I think it left an after taste. Do you think it would change the recipe? I am wondering if I could substitute coconut oil for vegetable oil? Your opinion please. I’m excited to make them again!
I usually recommend a mild vegetable oil like corn, safflower, canola, or generic vegetable oil first, is there a reason you can’t use that? If not, coconut oil will work but you will get that flavor in your muffins.
I added white chocolate chips, a dash of cinnamon, and a tablespoon of orange zest. Topped with almond slices. OmG??
Simple and easy with ingredients anyone would have in the house! Great recipe.
Good recipe! I made one batch with a half cup chocolate chips also mixed in. Then another with only chocolate chips.
Wow, I never would have thought to try chocolate chips, that sounds delish!
will fresh cranberries have time to melt…15-18 minutes
Yes, they do, they cook so quickly. I just tested a new cranberry orange muffin recipe today and the cranberries burst and oooze out their juices in the tops of the muffins just like they do here. Cranberries have thin skins and lots of water, and when the water boils they basically collapse.