Best Cranberry Nut Muffins

cranberry nut muffins
Diana Rattray
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 35 mins
Servings: 12 to 15 servings

Cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweet orange marmalade add a wonderful fall flavor to these cranberry nut muffins. Take them to the next level and make sure you add either the chopped pecans or walnuts for a bit of extra texture. To enhance the orange citrus flavor, add a few teaspoons of fresh, finely grated orange zest to the dry ingredients.

These easy cranberry muffins are a perfect touch for the holidays and also make wonderful breakfast treats. If there are any leftovers they are a fabulous lunchbox addition. Make them ahead of time and freeze them for later use. Whatever reason you decide to make them, we highly recommend serving them slightly warm with either regular butter or orange butter.

Ingredients

  • 10-ounces (about 2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour 

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1 pinch ground allspice, optional

  • 1 cup buttermilk

  • 1/2 cup orange marmalade 

  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cranberries

  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to  400 F/200 C/Gas 6. 

  3. Grease a muffin tin or spray with baking spray, or line the cups with paper liners. Depending on the size of your muffin cups, this recipe will make 12 to 15 muffins.

  4. In a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated and brown sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, if using. Stir to blend the dry ingredients thoroughly.

  5. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the marmalade, the melted butter, and the egg until well blended.

  6. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir just until well moistened.

  7. Fold in the chopped cranberries and walnuts or pecans.

  8. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds to three-quarters full. If desired, sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over each muffin.

  9. Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

  10. Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

  11. Serve and enjoy.

Tips

  • To freeze the muffins, place them on a flat tray or baking pan and put them in the freezer for about 1 hour, or until solid. Transfer them to freezer bags, removing as much air as possible from the bags. Label them with the name and date and freeze them for up to 3 months. 
  • To reheat, wrap muffins in foil and bake in a preheated 325 F/165 C/Gas 3 for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until warm.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
195 Calories
7g Fat
30g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12 to 15
Amount per serving
Calories 195
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 24mg 8%
Sodium 269mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 30g 11%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 2mg 8%
Calcium 80mg 6%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 79mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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