These muffins are inspired by my friend and fellow blogger Alyssa –
https://www.alyssainthecity.com/blog – who is obsessed with anything cranberry-orange. Ok, me too but she basically threatened me and told me to invent a cran-orange recipe. Just kidding… or maybe not? Aren’t all of the best friendships based on these moments? Just mine?
These muffins are ridiculously good. They are soft but have a crunch from the pecans. They are sweet but tart because of the cranberries. A perfect balance of flavor. I made these over a weekend and my husband and I ate them for breakfast throughout the week. This isn’t the quickest or easiest recipe, but I think the flavor is really unique and totally worth the effort. If you’re having guests stay at your house, this would be a good breakfast or snack item to keep around.
Putting a couple cranberries and pecans on top of the batter before baking is a quick way to make them pop when they come out, but they will still taste great whether you try that or not. Once they’re done baking, make sure you give them enough time to cool. It doesn’t take hours because they’re just muffins, but if you pour the glaze over them before they cool, the glaze will just run right off the muffin.
Once you’re done glazing them, if you haven’t scarfed the whole batch down in a couple hours, I would suggest putting them in a tupperware. But instead of sealing them up with the top, cover them with a dish towel. If you seal them in a tupperware, the glaze turns to a weird gummy texture and gets absorbed by the muffin. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
Cranberry, Orange, & Pecan Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- zest of two oranges
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (unthawed)
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. prepare 15 muffin cups with liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until creamy, then add the granulated and brown sugars and continue beating on high for about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium for 1 minute, then high speed until combined. Scrape down side of the bowl as needed.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk together then pour half of the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix on medium speed. Scrap down the bowl, then add the orange juice and cream. Mix on medium speed then add in the rest of the dry ingredients. Once combined, remove from the stand and gently fold the cranberries and pecans into the mixture.
- Spoon batter into the prepared muffin pans. If you’d like, top them with a couple additional cranberries and pecans. Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake another 18-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Once they are completely cool, prepare the glaze by whisking the orange juice and powdered sugar together in a small bowl. Place the muffins on a wire rack and use a spoon to pour glaze over them. Allow the glaze to set for a few minutes before serving.
