Cranberry Muffins

5 from 1 vote

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.

Prep Time15

Cook Time23

Total Time38

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Muffins

Keyword: lemon cranberry muffins

Servings: Muffins

Calories: 364kcal

Author: Jill

Ingredients

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.

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