Cranberry Orange Muffins

These are definitely not chocolate! As the holidays are coming to an end, I don't even want to hear the word chocolate, let alone bake with it. So instead I made these berry treats. The sweet orange smell of these muffins all through my kitchen was enough to make these worth baking!

The tangy cranberries are really what makes these muffins different. I used fresh cranberries, however frozen or dried cranberries can work too. The recipe originally called for a lot of orange zest, way too much! I used the zest of two small oranges that I just happened to have but one large orange would do. Just enough to get the smell and slight taste of orange but not overpower the rest.

There's nothing better than creaming butter and sugar together into a smooth and light mixture. It takes about 5 minutes of creaming to get there, so thank you to my faithful assistant Kitchen Aid for making this happen...

Putting them in the baking tin I quickly realize this recipe makes more like 18 muffins. They look pretty even before they are baked, but why not add some more color? Orange colored course sugar does the trick. Voila!

Of course the hardest part of this whole recipe is waiting for them to bake. 30 minutes turned to 40 minutes and then 45 minutes... they smell so good, I want them now!

Success!

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Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe

Makes 16 muffins.

     All-purpose flour - 2 3/4 cups - 369 g
     Baking powder - 2 tsp - 6 g
     Sugar - 1 1/2 cups - 298 g
     Butter (softened) - 1/3 cup - 78 g
     Salt - 1 tsp - 7.5 g
     Eggs - 3 eggs - 142 g
     Buttermilk - 2/3 cup - 150 mL
     Vanilla extract - 1tbsp - 15 mL
     Cranberries/blueberries - 2 1/2 cups - 312 g
     Orange zest - 1 large orange - 10 g
     Course sugar - For decoration

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cream together the sugar, butter and salt on medium speed with paddle attachment until smooth and light in color (5 minutes).
3. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and oil. Slowly add to the butter-sugar mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
4. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add to the mixture and mix until just incorporated.
5. Gently fold in the berries and orange zest.
6. Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full. Sprinkle the tops with course sugar.
7. Bake for 30 minutes (or more) until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.