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cranberry coffee cake muffins

Cranberry Coffee Cake Muffins

Kitchen Ready Betty
Each bite of Cranberry Coffee Cake Muffins is packed with plump, fresh cranberries, a hint of orange zest, and a sinfully good buttery spiced crumb topping.
These easy cranberry orange muffins have a coffee cake vibe, with the added bonus of a little tart and sweet. They are so delicious with a cup of coffee, and also make an excellent holiday breakfast option.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rest Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Breakfast, Desserts
Servings 16

Equipment

  • small, medium, & large mixing bowls
  • whisk
  • mixing spoons
  • measuring cups
  • citrus zester
  • measuring spoons
  • pastry cutter
  • 2 muffin pans (lightly greased with butter)
  • large, rimmed cookie sheet
  • wire rack

Ingredients
  

Crumble Topping

  • ¼ cup (½ stick) butter melted
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cranberry Muffins

  • ¼ cup (½ stick) butter softened at room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs at room temperature; slightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 cups fresh cranberries if using frozen, do not defrost before adding

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350℉.
  • Make the crumb topping first. Microwave ½ stick butter in a small heat safe mixing bowl; add ½ cup sugar, ⅓ cup flour, and 2 teaspoon cinnamon; mix with a fork until crumbles form; cover and refrigerate.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream ¾ cup sugar with remaining ½ stick softened butter. You may do this with a spoon, or use a pastry cutter to mash it up more in the bowl.
  • Add the slightly beaten eggs, orange zest and milk to the bowl and stir.
  • In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Then add this mixture to the large bowl. Stir until just combined.
  • Fold in the cranberries. Gently mix, but do not over stir.
  • Fill each muffin cup ⅔ full with batter (approx. 3 tablespoon in each).
  • Press 1-2 tablespoon cold crumble on top of each muffin.
  • Place muffin pans on rimmed cookie sheet and bake for 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (muffins may take a little longer to bake if you used frozen cranberries).
  • Let baked muffins stand for 5 minutes in the muffin pan; then use a knife to loosen them around the edges. Lift them out of the pan and allow muffins to cool on a wire rack for an additional 20 minutes before serving.

Notes

Fresh cranberries can easily be swapped for frozen ones in this recipe. Add them to the cake batter without defrosting. You may need to extend your bake time slightly. Just keep an eye on the topping so it doesn't burn.
You may substitute 1 teaspoon of orange extract for the orange zest.
It's important to make the crumble first so you can refrigerate it while you make the muffin batter. Placing chilled crumbs on top before baking the muffins avoids less crumble spillage.
Enjoy within 1 week. See above post for freezing instructions.
 
Keyword breakfast dessert, breakfast treat, buckle, coffee cake, cranberries, cranberry, cranberry muffins, cranberry orange muffins, muffins, orange zest
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