Description
These Gluten-Free Orange Cranberry Muffins are light, fluffy, and bursting with fresh cranberries and bright citrus flavor. Perfectly sweetened with honey or maple syrup and made with a gluten-free flour blend, they are an ideal treat for breakfast or a holiday snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free measure-for-measure flour blend (240 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Wet Ingredients
- Zest of 1 orange (about 1-2 teaspoons zest)
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 3/4 cup milk (unsweetened almond or cashew milk)
- 1/3 cup avocado oil (or neutral oil like canola or vegetable)
- 1/3 cup honey (or pure maple syrup)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fruits and Toppings
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 tablespoon coarse Turbinado sugar (or Sugar in The Raw)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven & Prep Your Pan: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with parchment muffin liners or grease it well to prevent sticking.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until evenly mixed.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together orange zest, orange juice, milk, avocado oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined. Some small lumps are okay; avoid overmixing to keep muffins tender.
- Fold In Cranberries: Gently fold the fresh cranberries into the batter. Save a few cranberries for topping if desired.
- Optional Rest: Allow the batter to rest for 30 to 60 minutes to help the muffins rise taller when baked.
- Fill Muffin Cups: Scoop the batter evenly into 12 muffin cups, filling each cup to the top. Press any reserved cranberries onto the muffin tops and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake the Muffins: Bake at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes to give a strong initial rise, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool and Serve: Let the muffins cool for 1-2 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve immediately or store as preferred.
- Storage: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, refrigerate for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 2 months for best freshness.
Notes
- Letting the batter rest before baking helps create taller, fluffier muffins.
- You can substitute honey with pure maple syrup for a vegan option.
- If fresh cranberries are out of season, frozen cranberries can be used but do not thaw before folding them into the batter to prevent color bleed.
- Use parchment liners or grease the muffin tin well to ensure easy muffin removal.
- Adjust cinnamon to your taste; adding up to 1/2 teaspoon adds a nice subtle warmth.
- For a nut-free version, swap almond/cashew milk with another dairy-free milk like oat milk.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 252 kcal
- Sugar: 23.3 g
- Sodium: 108 mg
- Fat: 7.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 46.5 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 2.6 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
