Cranberry Muffins

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By: Jill Mills Posted: Dec 30, 2023

Cranberry Muffins are moist and delicious with a subtle sweetness and a fresh pop of cranberry! This easy cranberry muffin recipe makes a delicious breakfast.

The Best Cranberry Muffin Recipe

I love cranberries! I always look forward to when they’re in season. From cranberry sauce to cranberry cheesecake, there are so many amazing things you can make. Even my kiddos enjoy these muffins with cranberries; typically, they won’t touch anything other than chocolate chip. Fortunately, these muffins have white chocolate chips so that helped to sweeten the deal.

This is my go-to recipe for cranberry muffins. Not only do they also have white chocolate, but fresh orange juice and zest as well. Cranberry and orange complement each other so well. They both have a natural sweetness and tartness that takes any food up a notch. If you’re a fan, you should also try Cranberry Orange Cookies or Cranberry Orange Chicken!

What You’ll Need

Sweet and tangy cranberry muffins with a cream cheese glaze is an easy and delicious recipe that requires mostly pantry staples, making it super affordable.

For the Muffins

• Flour: I use all-purpose flour for this muffin recipe.
• Baking Powder
• Vegetable Oil
• Light Brown Sugar: Make sure it is nice and packed when you measure it.
• Eggs
• Sour Cream: This adds a little tangy flavor to balance out the sweetness while also making the muffins extra moist and fluffy.
• Orange: you will need orange juice and orange zest.
• Milk
• Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla will always add the best flavor. Any kind will do – it doesn’t have to be clear.
• Cranberries: This recipe calls for frozen or fresh cranberries, depending on what you can find.
• White Chocolate Chips
• Coarse Sugar: This is an optional way to finish the muffins. I like the sweet crunch of the sugar on top of the baked cranberry muffins.

For the Glaze

• Cream Cheese: Adding cream cheese to your glaze will add great flavor and make it nice and creamy.
• White Chocolate: The melted white chocolate helps to tie all the flavors together.
• Powdered Sugar
• Milk

How to Make Cranberry Muffins

If you have made baked goods in the past, this is a similar process. Once all of the ingredients are combined, bake, cool, glaze, and devour!

• Prep the Oven and Muffin Tins. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line your muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray. 
• Mix Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly mixed.
• Combine Sugar and Oil. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk brown sugar and vegetable oil until smooth. 

• Add Remaining Wet Ingredients. Whisk in the eggs, then sour cream, making sure the mixture is nice and smooth each time. Finally, whisk in orange zest, orange juice, milk, and vanilla.
• Add Flour Mixture. Gradually pour the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Stir until fully incorporated.

• Fold in Mix-Ins. Add white chocolate chips and cranberries. Fold in gently.
• Scoop Batter. Fill each muffin cup about ⅔ with the cranberry muffin batter. 

• Coarse Sugar. If you choose to use the sugar, sprinkle a little onto the top of each muffin.
• Bake. Place the pans into the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 16-19 minutes. They are ready when the edges are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into the center of a muffin.
• Cool. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

• Make the Glaze. In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and white chocolate until combined. Then, gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Add the milk and stir until smooth. Use extra milk if it is too thick.
• Drizzle and Serve. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the muffins. Enjoy warm or cooled.

Can I Make Cranberry Muffins Ahead of Time?

Yes! If you are making them for a special event or to enjoy a weekend breakfast, you can make them a couple of days in advance and store them in the refrigerator.

How To Store Cranberry Muffins

These cranberry muffins should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. I do not recommend storing them at room temperature because of the cream cheese glaze. They can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying. 

More Muffin Recipes

• Lemon Blueberry Muffins
• Banana Bran Muffins
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
• Zucchini Muffins
• Red Velvet Muffins

5 from 1 vote

Cranberry Muffins

Cranberry Muffins are moist and delicious with a subtle sweetness and a fresh pop of cranberry! This easy cranberry muffin recipe makes a delicious breakfast.

Servings: 12 Muffins

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 23 minutes mins

Total: 38 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

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For the muffins:

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
• ▢ 1 tablespoon orange zest
• ▢ 1 tablespoon orange juice fresh squeezed
• ▢ 1 tablespoon milk
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• ▢ 1 cup white chocolate chips
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coarse sugar optional

For the glaze:

• ▢ 2 ounces cream cheese softened
• ▢ 2 tablespoons white chocolate melted
• ▢ ½ cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line 12-count muffin tins with paper liners, or spray them with baking spray, set aside.
• In a medium bowl stir together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and brown sugar until combined. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Spoon in the sour cream and whisk until smooth. Mix in the orange zest, orange juice, milk, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
• Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir it until just combined with no dry patches. Add the cranberries and white chocolate chips and fold them in.
• Divide the muffin batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the coarse sugar on top of the muffins if using.
• Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 16-18 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out mostly clean.
• Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then carefully take them out and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
• While the muffins are cooling, make the glaze. Mix together the cream cheese and white chocolate in a medium-sized bowl.
• Slowly add in the powdered sugar until fully combined and smooth; the mixture will be thick. Add the milk and stir until smooth; if you find it is too thick to drizzle, add a little more milk.
• Drizzle the glaze on top of the muffins and serve warm, or allow them to cool completely to set the glaze.

Last Step:

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Notes

• These are the most fantastic moist muffins ever. Very festive flavor combination but I would eat these all year round. The combination of the tart cranberries, sweet chocolate, sweet and tart orange, with a slight cream cheese tang is just the best ever.
• This is truly a “Starbucks” Cranberry Bliss Bar in muffin form!
• You can skip the coarse sugar topping and use regular white sugar if desired. It gives a nice crunch to the muffin and an extra hint of sweetness.
• If you want more glaze then just a drizzle, you can double the glaze recipe. A fun idea is to dip the muffin tops into the glaze while they are still warm to have an even coating, yum!
• Make sure you are using a high quality white chocolate, especially for the glaze so it melts properly.
• The glaze does harden but does not fully set due to the cream cheese.
• Since they have a cream cheese glaze, they need to be refrigerated for up to 1 week. However, they are best eaten at room temp or warm, so you can leave them on the counter until they reach room temp or pop them into the microwave for a few seconds.
• Freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 183IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 1mg

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