Description
Indulge in the perfect breakfast treat with these delicious Cranberry Orange Muffins with Streusel Topping. Discover the recipe now!
Ingredients
Scale
- granulated sugar
- all-purpose flour
- cold unsalted butter
- ground cinnamon
- salt
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- granulated sugar
- Zest of 2 medium oranges
- unsalted butter
- large eggs
- fresh orange juice
- sour cream
- vanilla extract
- fresh or frozen cranberries
- dried cranberries
Instructions
- Step 1: Prepare Your Baking Space Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or generously grease each cup. Position your oven rack in the center position to ensure even baking. Take out your butter and eggs early to reach room temperature if you haven’t already.
- Step 2: Make the Streusel Topping In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt for the streusel. Add the cold, cubed butter and use your fingertips to work it into the dry ingredients until you have a crumbly mixture with pea-sized butter pieces. The texture should resemble coarse sand with some larger clumps. Set this aside in the refrigerator while you prepare the muffin batter.
- Step 3: Prepare the Dry Ingredients In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. This not only combines the ingredients but also aerates the flour, contributing to a lighter texture in your Cranberry Orange Muffins.
- Step 4: Infuse Orange Flavor In a large bowl, place the granulated sugar and add the orange zest. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant and slightly moist. This releases the essential oils in the zest, intensifying the orange flavor throughout your muffins.
- Step 5: Mix Wet Ingredients To the orange-infused sugar, add the melted butter and whisk until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the orange juice, sour cream, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and well incorporated.
- Step 6: Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a rubber spatula. Mix just until no dry flour remains visible—remember, a few small lumps are perfectly acceptable and preferable to overmixing!
- Step 7: Add Cranberries Fold in the fresh cranberries and dried cranberries (if using) with just a few strokes to distribute them evenly throughout the batter. If using fresh cranberries, you might want to coarsely chop some of them for varied texture and more even distribution of tartness.
- Step 8: Fill Muffin Cups and Top with Streusel Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each nearly to the top. Generously sprinkle the streusel topping over each muffin, gently pressing it into the batter just slightly so it adheres during baking.
- Step 9: Bake with Temperature Shift Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) without opening the oven door. Continue baking for 15-18 minutes more, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Step 10: Cool Properly Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This prevents the bottoms from becoming soggy from trapped steam.
Notes
Fresh ingredients will always yield the best flavor results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 50mg