I know it might seem early to be thinking about Christmas in November, but these cranberry and orange muffins are the perfect gateway into the festive season. They appeared almost by accident — I had leftover cranberries from testing a sauce recipe and a couple of oranges sitting in the fruit bowl. The combination is just wonderful: sharp, jewel-bright cranberries against sweet, zesty sponge.
They’re quick enough to whip up on a weekday morning and make the house smell absolutely incredible.
Ingredients
- 300g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 130g caster sugar
- Zest of 2 large oranges
- 150g fresh or frozen cranberries
- 2 large eggs
- 200ml buttermilk
- 80g unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Demerara sugar for sprinkling
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and caster sugar. Rub in the orange zest with your fingertips to release the oils — the mixture should smell incredible at this point. Toss in the cranberries.
- In a jug, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, orange juice, and vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together with a spatula until just combined. A few lumps are absolutely fine — overmixing is the enemy of a good muffin.
- Divide between the cases, filling each nearly to the top. Sprinkle with demerara sugar for a crunchy top.
- Bake for 20–24 minutes until risen, golden, and a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
These muffins are best eaten on the day, still slightly warm from the oven. But they freeze well — just warm them through in a low oven for a few minutes when you’re ready. You could also add a simple orange glaze drizzle: mix 100g icing sugar with 2 tablespoons of orange juice and zigzag it over the cooled muffins.
