Cranberry Muffins

December 23, 2020

These Cranberry Muffins are the perfect blend of tart and sweet, light, fluffy and perfect for your morning breakfast. All you need is one bowl and 30 minutes to whip these babies up from start to finish.

Don’t miss our other yummy breakfast sweets! We love this Star Bread, which is GORGEOUS, this Fluffy French Toast, and these sticky sweet Sticky Buns.

Homemade Cranberry Muffins

I am not normally a sweets gal in the morning, but give me a sweet that’s balanced by a hint of tartness to balance things out and a smear of softened butter and I AM SOLD. These easy Cranberry Muffins are made in one bowl and come together in about 30 minutes, making breakfast (or snacks!) a cinch.

Tuck them into your kiddo’s lunch box, pop them into the microwave for a quick breakfast on the go, or just eat one when you need a quick snack fix.

Ingredients in Fresh Cranberry Muffins

Flour: We use all-purpose flour for these cranberry muffins, but you could also use gluten free flour that has a one-to-one ration with all-purpose flour.
Sugar: I don’t like my muffins to be overly sweet, but you do need a good amount of cane sugar regardless. We use 2/3 cup, if you like yours on the sweeter side, bump it up to 3/4 cup.
Baking powder: This is the leavened in our muffins, it’s needed to make the muffins rise. Make sure yours isn’t expired.
Salt: I love to add more salt that most people do. Not only does it help to balance out the sweetness, but I love to get a little salty bit in each bite.
Milk: You could use any kind of milk, this time around we used whole milk, but 2% or non-dairy milk would also work.
Butter: Our recipe calls for melted butter, make sure it’s unsalted so you can control the amount of salt that goes in the muffins.
Yogurt: Use whatever yogurt you have on hand! We used a sweetened greek yogurt, but plain yogurts or regular yogurt would work as well.
Egg: You need an egg to bind all the ingredients together. We like to use large organic eggs, but whatever you have on hand is fine.

Let’s Make Cranberry Muffins!

Prepare the muffin tin: You have the option of using liners or spooning the batter directly into the muffin tin. I find cleanup easier by using the liners, but if you don’t have any on hand, no big deal.
Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
Mix the wet ingredients: To minimize mess, I like to mix all of the wet ingredients in a large liquid measuring cup. First add the milk to you can measure it out properly. Whisk in the egg, yogurt, butter, and vanilla.
Stir everything: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Gently fold everything together. Drop the cranberries in, and again, gently fold in until they are combined.
Bake! It’s really important that you don’t overfill the muffin tin. Only fill them 3/4 of the way full. If you have leftover batter, you can discard it, or use it to make one more muffin. Bake about 15-18 minutes and enjoy!

Substitutions, Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success

Add in a little bit of orange zest for citrusy flair. Same goes for lemon or lime zest!
Sprinkle the tops with sparkling sugar to add a little crunch and make them shine.
Use fresh cranberries, they are tart and won’t make the muffins soggy.
Don’t over mix the batter! The more you work the batter, the tougher the muffins will be. We want them light and fluffy!

Can I Make Cranberry Muffins Ahead of Time?

Absolutely! These will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days. If you chill them, they will keep for five days.

What to Serve with Cranberry Muffins