Orange Cranberry Muffins
Growing up my Mom used to always make Orange Cranberry Muffins and I was missing them so I decided to make a gluten-free version! These muffins are bursting with bright orange citrus and sweet tangy cranberries. Made with both sour cream and buttermilk so they are perfectly moist and fluffy. They are also topped with an orange simple syrup made with freshly squeezed orange juice that adds even more delicious flavor.
Servings : 6 - 12 muffins
Prep Time : 20 minutes
Bake Time : 20 - 25 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups (280g) 1:1 gluten-free flour, See Recipe Notes
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
zest of 1 orange, about 2 tablespoons
1 cup (210g) granulated cane sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup (120g) buttermilk
1/2 cup (120g) sour cream
1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup (60g) vegetable or canola oil
3 tablespoons orange juice, freshly squeezed
2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
1 cup dried cranberries
Orange Syrup Glaze
1/4 cup granulated cane sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice, freshly squeezed
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Place muffin liners in a muffin pan. This recipe yields about 12 standard muffins or 6 jumbo muffins.
Soak the dried cranberries in warm water for about 10-15 minutes to allow them to plump up slightly.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine sugar and orange zest. With your hands, rub zest into sugar until fully combined. Whisk in the eggs. Add the sour cream, buttermilk, oil, butter, orange juice and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Mix in the cranberries.
Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and fold together until just combined. Be careful not to over mix the batter or the muffins may become denser and not as fluffy. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin liners, dividing it evenly among each cup.
Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes turn the oven down to 350°F. Don’t open the oven door. Bake for 15-18 more minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.
While the muffins are baking, prepare the orange syrup glaze. Heat the sugar and orange juice in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring continuously until sugar has completely dissolved. Brush onto tops of muffins right when they come out of the oven. Allow muffins to cool in pan for about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
I recommend using Cup4Cup multi-purpose gluten-free flour for this recipe. I have not tested this recipe with other gluten-free flours.
