• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Peanut Blossom
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Book Club
  • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • ABOUT
  • RECIPES
  • HOLIDAYS
  • BOOK CLUB
  • COOKBOOKS
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • ABOUT
    • RECIPES
    • HOLIDAYS
    • BOOK CLUB
    • COOKBOOKS
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Christmas Breakfast

    Cranberry Orange Muffins with Streusel Topping

    Published: Oct 4, 2020 · Modified: Mar 18, 2021 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

    • Share
    • Email Friend!
    Jump to Recipe - Pin Recipe
    The muffins are shown in photo at top, a photo of fresh cranberries is at bottom.

    Make a batch of these easy cranberry orange muffins with a buttery streusel topping the day before Thanksgiving or Christmas for the perfect holiday treat.

    When was the last time you baked a batch of homemade muffins? It has been a while for me, and I confess I'm more likely to grab a container of them from the grocery store bakery department for the kids and spend my baking time on other goodies.

    I'm so excited for the holiday season and I've got Christmas on my mind. I decided to try making the perfect cranberry orange muffins to test them out now and see if they were Christmas morning-worthy or not.

    Oh, good gravy! I had forgotten how good a homemade muffin can be!! The grocery store muffins are crumbly and rather bland while the from-scratch version has an awesome springy bite to it. 

    Using fresh cranberries means the muffins have bursts of fruity goodness in each bite but the buttery streusel topping keeps them from being too tart. I added cinnamon and vanilla to the batter and was thrilled to see how much more flavorful our muffins were than what we're used to.

    I baked a dozen muffins in a regular 12-well muffin pan but these would make amazing jumbo muffins if that's more your style.

    Not only are these Christmas morning-worthy, but they'd make an amazing treat for Thanksgiving weekend. Serve them for an easy breakfast while you get that turkey going.

    How to make the perfect cranberry orange muffins with streusel topping:

    Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients separately from the dry ingredients to start

    The key to perfect, fluffy muffins is to not overbeat the batter. Whisk together the orange juice, butter, milk, and eggs in one bowl until the eggs are smooth. Then whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt separately in a second bowl. 

    The heavy whisking happens separately between the wet and dry ingredients and then you gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet.

    Don't over mix!! As you can see in my photo, it is ok to have little streaks of dry flour in the batter. Use a spatula and just gently keep folding until everything is mostly combined.

    Step 2: Fill the muffin wells to the top

    I love this recipe because it makes exactly 12 muffins. Evenly divide the batter among the 12 wells of your pan. It will fill each well nearly to the top.

    The batter was thick enough that it was an easy transfer to spoon it into the pan. 

    Step 3: Top with make-ahead streusel topping

    The streusel topping is essential to this recipe. It adds just a little more buttery sweetness to balance the tart cranberries. Without that classic crunchy topping, I'm not sure my kids would have liked these as much.

    Did you know that streusel can be made in advance? It's not a hard thing to prepare but it adds on 5 minutes of time to baking these muffins. It was so nice to be able to just grab my prepared streusel from the fridge and go. It's a simple holiday baking shortcut if you want to cut down on both time and messy dishes to clean.

    Sprinkle big pinches of streusel over each muffin before baking. 

    RELATED: Make-ahead streusel topping for super-quick weekend baking

    Can you use dried cranberries instead of fresh in muffins?

    For this recipe, absolutely not. Fresh cranberries are essential. Dried cranberries will be overly chewy and dry in this muffin recipe. The fresh cranberries soften and get extra juicy in the oven. They are similar to giant blueberries in the final muffin and practically pop in your mouth.

    How do you use fresh cranberries in baking?

    Fresh cranberries are not usually pre-washed when you get them from the store. Be sure to rinse them well before you use them in baking or any other recipe.

    For these muffins, I measured two cups of fresh cranberries and added them to the liquid ingredients for a quick stir. They got folded in with the dry ingredients in the last step. I was a little worried they may all sink to the bottom of the muffins when they baked, but they didn't. They were perfectly spaced all throughout the muffins.

    For more fresh cranberry recipe ideas, be sure to check out these 20 fresh cranberry recipes your holiday needs right now.

    Can you substitute cranberries for blueberries?

    I was a little worried my kids would be turned off by how tart the cranberries can be but was happy to see they loved them. I considered trying another version of the recipe where I swapped the cranberries for blueberries. The final texture of the cranberry is so close to a blueberry, I really think you could use either one in this recipe. 

    Blueberry and orange is a fantastic flavor combo, too. If you decide to make a blueberry muffin version, don't stir the blueberries into the batter at all. Add a tablespoon of batter to each muffin well in your pan and then drop a few blueberries in. Add more batter and then layer more blueberries, back and forth until the wells are full. This prevents your muffin batter from turning purple since blueberries are much softer than cranberries when they are raw and can easily be crushed when folding the dry ingredients into the wet.

    A cranberry orange muffin with cinnamon streusel is wrapped in a bright red muffin paper and sits on a pile of other muffins.

    Cranberry Orange Muffins

    5 from 2 votes
    These cranberry orange muffins will be the best muffins you've ever had. Bursting with fresh cranberries and orange zest, a touch of cinnamon and the streusel topping keep them from being too tart.
    TOTAL TIME 32 minutes
    PREP TIME 10 minutes
    COOK TIME 22 minutes
    YIELD 12 muffins
    PIN RECIPE FOR LATER PRINT RECIPE NOW

    Ingredients
      

    • 6 tablespoon butter
    • 1 large orange
    • 2 tablespoon milk
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • 2 eggs
    • 2 cups fresh cranberries do not use dried
    • 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
    • ¾ cup sugar
    • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 batch of make-ahead streusel topping recipe card below

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-well muffin tin with paper liners.
    • Melt the butter on HIGH for 30-40 seconds and whisk with a fork to ensure it is completely melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
    • Over a large bowl, zest the orange with a microplane zester. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into a smaller bowl. Measure ¼ cup juice to add to the large bowl.
    • Whisk the cooled butter and milk into the orange juice. Add the vanilla and cinnamon. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth and thoroughly combined. Add the cranberries and stir to combine.
    • In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter bowl. Use a spatula to GENTLY fold in the flour to the liquid ingredients. Stir as few times as you can to incorporate. It is ok if you still see a few streaks of dry flour. This will keep your muffins from being tough.
    • Fill the prepared muffin tin with the batter. Each well should be filled evenly to the top. Pinch the prepared streusel over each muffin.
    • Bake for 22 - 26 minutes. The muffins are done when they bounce back after gently pressing on the top. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Best served the day they are made but will keep a day in an air-tight container at room temperature.
    COURSEBreakfast
    CUISINEAmerican
    AUTHORTiffany Dahle

    Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box

    Find this delicious recipe next time you visit by saving it to your very own recipe box on my site. All your favorites stored in one easy place!

    SAVE THIS RECIPESaved!
    A muffin has been topped with homemade struesel and baked.

    Make-Ahead Streusel Topping for Muffins

    No ratings yet
    Keep a batch of make-ahead streusel topping in your fridge for easy weekend baking in a pinch.
    TOTAL TIME 5 minutes
    PREP TIME 5 minutes
    YIELD 1 Topping for 12 muffins
    PIN RECIPE FOR LATER PRINT RECIPE NOW

    Ingredients
      

    • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
    • ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
    • 3 tablespoon cold salted butter cut into cubes
    • OPTIONAL: pinch of cinnamon or pie spice

    Instructions

    • In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour and sugar. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is smaller than the size of peas. Transfer the crumbs to a small bowl and pinch together with your fingers.
    • Alternatively, use a fork to whisk together the flour and sugar. Then press the butter into the flour. It is easiest to use your fingers to finish incorporating the butter by pinching it with the flour.
    • Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
    • To use for muffins: Pinch the streusel into pebbles over one dozen regular size muffins before baking.
    COURSEBreakfast
    CUISINEAmerican
    AUTHORTiffany Dahle

    Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box

    Find this delicious recipe next time you visit by saving it to your very own recipe box on my site. All your favorites stored in one easy place!

    SAVE THIS RECIPESaved!

    More Breakfast Recipes

    • A photo collage shows several easy things to eat for breakfast.
      18 Easy Lent Breakfast Ideas
    • A white plate has a pile of fresh baked buttermilk drop biscuits.
      Easy Buttermilk Drop Biscuits {4 Flavor Variations}
    • Two waffles on a blue plate have a dollop of whipped cream and pastel sprinkles.
      Birthday Cake Waffles
    • A baking pan filled with finished orange rolls sits on a blue towel.
      Bread Machine Orange Rolls

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Share Your Thoughts Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Albertina

      October 26, 2020 at 1:51 am

      Hi Tiffany, I tried this recipe and the muffins are very delicious and the muffins were moist and tasty the next day also. Thank you for a great recipe.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

    More about me →

    What's Trending Now

    • A photo collage shows the variety of recipes that can be made in a bread maker.
      50 Best Bread Machine Recipes
    • A blue baking dish filled with mac and cheese with bread crumb topping. A serving spoon has removed a portion to show the creamy elbow noodles.
      Make Ahead Mac and Cheese
    • An airfryer basket has 7 seasoned chicken tenderloins golden brown and cooked.
      Healthy Chicken Tenderloins in the Air Fryer
    • Two salmon filets are surrounded by fresh green beans in an air fryer basket.
      How to Cook Salmon in Air Fryer

    Popular

    • A freezer-friendly metal pan holds an 8x8-inch apple crisp with crumble topping.
      Freezer Friendly Apple Crisp
    • A stack of the best books for book club in 2023
      Best Book Club Picks 2023
    • A taco salad made with mini frozen tacos.
      10-minute Trader Joe's Meals
    • A young kid's hand is holding a homemade pizza lunchable.
      30 School Lunch Ideas for Kids
    • A collage of easy dinners for busy nights.
      30 Quick Dinners for Busy Nights
    • A photo collages shows several easy dinner ideas kids could make.
      Easy Dinner Ideas for Yo-Yo Nights {You're On Your Own!}
    • A meal train dinner kit featuring supplies for tacos sits in an aluminum tray for delivery.
      30 Clever Meal Train Ideas with Recipes
    • Harry Potter themed snacks are in a platter with a witch hat sitting next to an open copy of a Harry Potter book.
      21 Harry Potter Snacks for Movie Night

    Footer

    As Seen On

    The Taste of Home Logo
    The Pioneer Woman Logo
    The Country Living Logo
    The Buzzfeed logo
    The Good Housekeeping Logo

    About

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Contact
    Privacy Policy
    Disclaimer

    Favorites

    Bread Recipes
    Soup Recipes
    Quick Dinner Recipes
    Harry Potter Fan Club
    Reading with Kids

    Holidays

    Easter Recipes
    4th of July Recipes
    Catholic Celebrations
    Thanksgiving Recipes
    Christmas Recipes

    Recipes

    Appetizers
    Dinners
    Salads
    Side Dishes
    Desserts
    Brunch
    Homemade Pantry

    ↑ back to top

    Copyright © 2023