New year calls for new recipes. Cranberry Orange muffin, the name itself sounds so refreshing. I had bought a bag of fresh cranberries to use for holiday baking, decoration and had totally forgotten about them. So when I came across the bag in the fridge, you know what I had to do. That’s right; we don’t waste any food around here, so let the baking begin.

My family is used to having a craving for muffins for breakfast on repeat; my go-to has been the the Cranberry and Chocolate Chip. Even though the chocolate chip was the kids favorite, for me the sweet and tart Cranberry muffin satisfied the morning urge to have a fruity palate.

Cranberries fresh or dried are so pretty to use in a recipe or as a decoration in food styling. Not to mention, visiting a Cranberry bog has been added in my to-do list for a long time. I am just patiently waiting for my kiddos to be old enough to wear the waders and to go for the cranberry plunge. Until then, I will enjoy the berries in my baking.

The recipe I am sharing today is not your standard-type muffin. This muffin is going to be soft and moist in the middle and crisp on the top. Not only this muffin is perfect for breakfast or snacking, it will be a perfect assortment for your afternoon tea / coffee as well.

Like my other recipes, I am going to keep it simple for you. Grab two bowls, and a whisk. Mix your dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately using the bowls. Combine dry and wet ingredients together to make your smooth batter and you are all set for baking.

I have chosen one orange to be used for zesting and the juice. There is something special about the tart Cranberries and the sweet Orange. They are combined perfectly to cut the tart flavor naturally in the end result.

Give this muffin a go, even your house will smell so wonderfully with all the citrus and fruity fragrance to brighten your day.

Cranberry Orange Muffin

Serves 12 | Prep-time 20 mins | Cook-time 25-35 mins

Ingredients :

• 1 cup of fresh Cranberries.
• 1 1/2 cups of Unbleached Flour.
• 1/2 cup of Vegan Butter.
• 3/4 cup of Light Brown Sugar.
• 2 Eggs.
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract.
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of Baking Powder.
• 1/4 tsp of Salt.
• 4 – 5 tablespoon of Orange Juice.
• 1 tablespoon of Orange Zest.
• 1/4 teaspoon of Nutmeg Powder.

Directions :

• Preheat the oven to 350 F° or 170 C°.
• Line a 12 – cup Muffin pan with cupcake liners.
• Sift the Flour, Baking powder, Nutmeg powder, Salt together and keep aside.
• Take a large bowl and beat the Vegan Butter well until it is soft and fluffy.
• Add the Sugar, Eggs and beat them until they are well combined and creamy.
• Mix in the Vanilla extract and Orange juice into the batter and combine well.
• Now combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.
• Finally fold in the Cranberries and mix well into the batter.
• Scoop the batter equally into the Muffin pan.
• Bake for 25-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Notes :

• Frozen or dried Cranberries can be substituted for fresh berries. Just use 3/4 of a cup.
• You can halve the Cranberries if you are not into big chunk of fruits in your muffin.
• I have used Vegan Butter in this recipe. But Butter can be substituted.
• I used Unbleached flour in this recipe as a personal choice, but all purpose, regular flour or even whole wheat flour too will do the job.
• I have used Light brown sugar but can be substituted with regular sugar.
• Orange juice can be substituted for Dairy free milk or regular milk..