White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins
Reward yourself with these naturally sweetened White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins! Perfectly fluffy and moist, these muffins are lightly scented with orange zest and packed full of plump dried cranberries and sweet white chocolate chips. You’ll love this easy, small-batch recipe!
Easy cranberry muffins without refined sugar
Do you want an easy cranberry muffin recipe that produces light, sweet, orange-scented delights? You got it!
This recipe requires a handful of easy-to-find ingredients, a couple of bowls, and about 35 minutes of your time. Go through this minor effort and you’ll be rewarded with six fluffy and festive muffins studded with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
They’re also naturally sweetened with honey, making them the perfect healthier treat to make during the week when you need a little pick-me-up!
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Ingredients in this recipe
12 basic ingredients come together to create these delicious, orange-scented cranberry muffins. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Plain flour: To provide structure for our muffins and create a light crumb.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These react with the acidic ingredients in the recipe and the heat in the oven to produce super fluffy muffins. Make sure you use both.
- Sea salt: Helps bring out the sweetness of the honey.
- Dried cranberries: Dried fruit is always available so you can make these muffins year-round!
- White chocolate chips: Perfect for adding a touch of indulgence to these cranberry muffins.
- Egg: Binds everything together.
- Honey: To sweeten the muffins naturally.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a touch of flavour and seasoning.
- Buttermilk: Adds moisture and the acidity helps produce a lighter crumb.
- Rapeseed oil: Lends extra moisture and softness to the muffins. I prefer cold-pressed rapeseed as it’s the healthiest and least processed oil on the market, but any neutral oil will do.
- Orange zest: Just a teaspoon adds so much flavour and pairs beautifully with the cranberries and white chocolate!
How to make Cranberry Muffins from scratch
You only need a couple of bowls, a spatula, and a whisk to make this small-batch cranberry muffins recipe. It’s incredibly easy and perfect for a weeknight baking project! Here’s how to do it:
- Soak your cranberries.
- Mix together the dry ingredients.
- Mix together the wet ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together.
- Scoop the batter into a lined muffin tin, bake, and enjoy!
Full details are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Cranberry Muffins Q & A
Should dried cranberries be soaked before baking?
Yes, it’s best to soak any dried fruit, cranberries included, before you bake with them. Not only will the additional moisture keep the baked goods from drying out, it will also keep the fruit from burning.
Are Craisins the same as dried cranberries?
Yes. The only difference is that Ocean Spray owns the trademark to “Craisins”. Both are the dried version of the fruit.
How can I make light and fluffy muffins?
There are a few factors that create light and fluffy muffins. The first is to use room temperature ingredients. This will trap air within the batter that expands in the oven, creating a lighter texture.
The second is using oil instead of butter. Oil has a higher moisture content and creates a fluffier, more tender crumb.
And the third is making sure you follow the recipe and use the exact ingredients, particularly when it comes to the baking soda and powder measurements. Sally explains the scientific differences between the two very well in her baking basics series.
How can I make moist muffins?
Using acidic ingredients like sour cream, yogurt, and buttermilk create softer texture in baked goods like these cranberry muffins. Liquid sweeteners also provide additional moisture because they don’t dry out as quickly as refined sugar when baked.
Tips for making this recipe perfectly
- Soak your cranberries. This will keep the fruit from burning in the oven and the extra moisture will keep the muffins from drying out.
- Don’t over-mix the batter once you add the dry ingredients! Over-mixing results in tough muffins. I like to do only a couple of folds before I add the cranberries and chips and then continue folding until the flour just disappears. It’s okay if the batter is lumpy.
- Fill the muffin cavities to the top! This will ensure a nice dome on your White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins.
- Let the muffins cool completely before serving. I know, torture! But the muffins will continue to cook as they cool and become extra fluffy. If you eat them right out of the oven, the texture will be more gummy.
Looking for more refined sugar free muffin recipes?
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Sugar Free Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Healthy Carrot Muffins
Ginger Pear Muffins
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If you make this recipe, let me know by snapping a picture and tagging me on Instagram @naturallysweet_kitchen. I love seeing your creations and sharing them in my Stories. Or let me know you love this White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins recipe by leaving a comment and rating below!
White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins
These naturally sweetened cranberry muffins are lightly scented with orange and packed with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 50 g dried cranberries
- 150 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 100 g unpasteurised honey
- 60 ml buttermilk, room temperature
- 60 ml rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 50 g white chocolate chips
Method
Preheat the oven to 190ºC (375ºF) and line a regular muffin tin with 6 silicone or paper liners.
- Place the cranberries in a small bowl and cover completely with boiling water. Allow the cranberries to rehydrate for 15 minutes, then drain.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- To a medium bowl add the egg, honey, buttermilk, oil, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Whisk together well to combine.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Gently fold everything together 3-4 times, then add the drained cranberries and the white chocolate chips. Keep folding gently just until the add-ins are dispersed. Do not over mix the batter; it’s okay if it’s a bit lumpy.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin tin cavities. The batter should reach the top of the cups. Bake the muffins for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached.
- Let the muffins cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely before enjoying.
Notes
These muffins will keep for 4 days sealed in an airtight container at room temperature; they can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
