Soft, fluffy and moist, these Cranberry Orange Muffins with Sour Cream are a delight to have on a holiday breakfast table. This is an easy recipe with simple ingredients that the entire family will love!
We always love to have a few varieties of muffins on our Christmas breakfast table and these cranberry orange muffins are one of our favorites.
I also have lemon blueberry muffins, banana muffins with streusel topping and blueberry banana muffins with streusel topping that are among the favorites. They all freeze well and they're great to have on hand when company pops by.
Ingredients
- Butter - use butter softened at room temperature. Take it out of the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes before you start the recipe.
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar - I use light brown sugar for this recipe. It adds wonderful flavor to these muffins.
- Eggs - use large eggs at room temperature. Take them out of the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes before you begin the recipe.
- Sour Cream - you can use full fat, light sour cream or Greek yogurt in this recipe.
- Vanilla extract - I always like to use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor in muffins.
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder, baking soda, salt
- Orange juice & zest - fresh orange adds flavor and moisture to these muffins.
- Milk - I used 1% milk but you may also substitute 2% or whole milk.
- Fresh cranberries - You could use frozen cranberries by adding them to the batter frozen and baking for an extra two to three minutes.
- Glaze: powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest
Step by Step Instructions
Below, I've added a few visual aids for your to follow, as well as step by step instructions. The full recipe card with ingredients and instructions is located at the bottom of the page.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 6-count jumbo muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter on high speed for 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl often.
Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl.
Add in the eggs, sour cream, orange zest and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed for 1 minute, scraping down sides as needed.
In a large bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Complete the next few steps by hand.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing by hand.
Stir in the orange juice and milk by hand.
Fold in the cranberries by hand.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling to the top. Top with a few of the reserved cranberries, if desired.
Bake in 425°F oven for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Total cooking time should be about 23 to 25 minutes).
Transfer muffins to wire cooling rack.
Prepare the glaze: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest. You may need to adjust and add a little more powdered sugar or orange juice until you reach a smooth glaze that you can drizzle from a fork. Drizzle over warm muffins.
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Cranberry Orange Muffins with Sour Cream
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 jumbo muffins
Description
Soft, fluffy and moist, these Cranberry Orange Muffins with Sour Cream are a delight to have on a holiday breakfast table. This is an easy recipe with simple ingredients that the entire family will love!
Ingredients
½ cup butter
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
½ cup sour cream
1 and ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 and ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons orange juice
Zest from one orange (reserve a few teaspoons for the glaze)
3 Tablespoons milk
1 and ½ cups cranberries (keep a few aside to top the muffins, if desired)
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 to 4 Tablespoons orange juice
A few teaspoons of reserved orange zest to taste
orange zest (a few teaspoons to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 6-count jumbo muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter on high speed for 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl often.
- Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl.
- Add in the eggs, sour cream, orange zest and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed for 1 minute, scraping down sides as needed.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Complete the next few steps by hand. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing by hand. Stir in the orange juice and milk by hand.
- Fold in the cranberries by hand.
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling to the top. Top with a few of the reserved cranberries, if desired.
- Bake in 425°F oven for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Total cooking time should be about 23 to 25 minutes).
- Transfer muffins to wire cooling rack.
- Prepare the glaze: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest. You may need to adjust and add a little more powdered sugar or orange juice until you reach a smooth glaze that you can drizzle from a fork. Drizzle over warm muffins.
Notes
Storage: Store cooled muffins in an airtight container for up to three days or in refrigerator for up to five days.
Freezing instructions: Place cooled muffins in an airtight container and freez for up to two months. Thaw completely at room temperature before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 jumbo muffin
- Calories: 640
- Sugar: 74.9 g
- Sodium: 147.4 mg
- Fat: 20.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 11.8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 110.7 g
- Fiber: 3.5 g
- Protein: 7.8 g
- Cholesterol: 109.5 mg
Keywords: cranberry orange muffins with sour cream, cranberry orange muffins
Tim
Delicious soft muffins love orange cranberries flavour. The sour cream really seems to keep them super moist so good!!
★★★★★
Maureen
Made these muffins yesterday, very moist & tasty..5 star.
My only problem is a error in measurement of ingredients.
Only measurement for baking soda is listed, Not baking powder.
★★★★★
Sandra Flegg
Hi Maureen, thanks so much for your comment and I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed these muffins! I've updated the recipe card to show that ingredient. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know!