Breakfast Muffins Recipes

Chocolate Cranberry Orange Muffin Recipe

Featuring a chocolate batter filled with cranberries, pecans, orange zest, and white chocolate chips plus a crunchy streusel on top, this cranberry orange muffin recipe makes a lovely choice for a festive breakfast or holiday brunch.

A chocolate muffin and cranberries on a sheet of parchment

Why Make This Cranberry Orange Muffin Recipe

I love making this cranberry orange muffin recipe because it combines so many of my favorite holiday flavors: bitter dark chocolate, tart cranberries, bright citrus, and buttery pecans. The finished muffins strike a balance between dark cocoa and citrusy orange, with bursts of juicy cranberry and creamy white chocolate in every bite.

This recipe comes together in about an hour, and aside from the cranberries, you probably already have many of the ingredients in the fridge or pantry, so it’s easy to whip up a batch without the need for special tools or fancy ingredients. (You don’t even need a mixer for this one!) These muffins make a nice addition to a Christmas morning breakfast or a holiday brunch spread, and are equally great as an afternoon snack. Plus, they’ll fill your home with the festive scents of chocolate, orange, and cranberry, putting friends and family in the holiday spirit.

Chocolate muffins surrounded by cranberries

Ingredients for Making Chocolate Cranberry Muffins

To make these cranberry muffins, start by gathering the following ingredients:

  • Sugars – This recipe requires dark brown bugar for the streusel topping, and granulated sugar for the batter.
  • Cocoa Powder – You’ll need natural cocoa powder (not Dutch processed) for both the topping and the muffin batter.
  • All Purpose FlourAll purpose flour (plain flour) for the topping and batter, plus another teaspoon to coat the berries.
  • Chopped Pecans – Pecans add a pleasant crunch to the streusel topping and the chocolate muffins. If you don’t like pecans, you can use an equal quantity of chopped walnuts or pistachios.
  • Unsalted Butter – For the streusel topping. The butter should be cold, rather than at room temperature.
  • Oranges – Orange zest adds a bright, citrus-y flavor to both the batter and the topping. I recommend grating the zest on a Microplane rather than a box grater.
  • Leavening AgentsBaking powder, baking soda, and a large egg give these muffins their lift.
  • Whole Milk – Or your favorite plant milk of choice.
  • Canola Oil – You can also make the batter with vegetable oil or coconut oil. Avoid olive oil, which will change the flavor.
  • Cranberries – Fresh or frozen cranberries will both work. See my notes below.
  • White Chocolate Chips – You’ll need 85 grams, or about 3 ounces, of white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate. If you aren’t a white chocolate fan, feel free to substitute dark chocolate instead.

Looking down at a chocolate cranberry muffin and a dish of cranberries

Fresh or Frozen Cranberries?

These chocolate orange cranberry muffins work nicely with either fresh or frozen cranberries.

I tested this recipe using frozen berries because they’re easier to find and more economical, but feel free to use fresh cranberries if you happen to have some on hand. If using frozen cranberries, do not thaw before adding to the batter.

I don’t recommend using dried cranberries for this muffin recipe.

Chocolate muffins and cranberries on a white surface

Cranberry Orange Muffin Recipe Tips and Tricks

Don’t Overmix the Batter: The batter should be lumpy—don’t overmix or your muffins will be heavy and dense. Instead, stir the wet and dry ingredients together just until combined.

Use Silicone Muffin Liners. Silicone muffin liners make it easy to remove the muffins after baking. The second best option is a silicone muffin pan, but paper liners will also work in a pinch. Do not bake these muffins in an unlined metal tin.

Coat the Cranberries with Flour: Before folding in the cranberries, toss them in a teaspoon of flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin cups.

Don’t Overfill the Muffin Cups: Fill each siilicone muffin cup about 3/4 of the way full, but not to the very top. And make sure the batter isn’t spilling over, or it will adhere to the pan as the muffins bake.

Let the Muffins Cool: Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack (this prevents the muffins from getting soggy and allows everything to set properly) but do not cool completely in the tin or they’ll be difficult to remove.

A stack of two chocolate muffins

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

These cranberry orange muffins are best enjoyed on the day they are made. Leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.

Homemade cranberry muffins also freeze well. To freeze, allow the muffins to cool completely, remove the silicone liners (if using paper liners, you can freeze directly in the paper), wrap the muffins individually in foil, and freeze for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature.

Chocolate muffins garnished with orange zest

Other muffin recipes you might enjoy:

Strawberry Muffins
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
Mixed Berry Oatmeal Cornmeal Muffins
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

Chocolate muffin and cranberries on a sheet of parchment

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Chocolate Cranberry Orange Muffin Recipe


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  • Author: becky
  • Total Time: About 1 hour
  • Yield: 12 muffins 1x

Description

Chocolate muffins filled with cranberries, pecans, orange zest, and white chocolate chips, plus a crunchy streusel topping.


Ingredients

Scale

Streusel topping:

45 grams dark brown sugar (3 tablespoons, packed)
12 grams cocoa powder (2 tablespoons)
20 grams all-purpose flour (2 tablespoons)
15 grams chopped pecans (2 tablespoons)
30 grams unsalted butter (2 tablespoons), cold and cubed
Zest of 1/2 orange

Muffins:

160 grams all-purpose flour (1 1/4 cup), plus 1 teaspoon for coating the cranberries
35 grams cocoa powder (1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
105 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
120 milliliters whole milk (1/2 cup)
45 milliliters canola oil (3 tablespoons)
Zest of one large orange
100 grams fresh or frozen cranberries (1 cup)
30 grams coarsely chopped pecans (1/3 cup)
85 grams white chocolate chips (3 ounces; about 1/2 cup)


Instructions

Streusel topping:

In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, cocoa powder, flour, and pecans.

A bowl containing ingredients for chocolate cranberry orange muffins

Cranberry muffin ingredients in a bowl

Add the orange zest and whisk to combine.

Orange zest in a bowl with cranberry muffin ingredients

Dry muffin ingredients in a bowl

Add the cold butter. With your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Butter in a bowl with dry muffin ingredients

Butter crumbled into flour and cocoa powder in a bowl

Refrigerate the streusel topping while you prepare the muffins.

Muffins:

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or silicone baking cups. Preheat oven to 350° F / 175° C.

Silicone muffin liners in a pan

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Whisk in a bowl with muffin ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, granulated sugar, milk, canola oil, and orange zest.

Eggs and whisk in a bowl

In a small bowl, combine cranberries with 1 teaspoon flour, and toss with a fork.

Cranberries and flour in a bowl

With a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Do not overmix. (Batter will be lumpy.)

Chocolate muffin batter and spatula in a bowl

Fold in the cranberries, white chocolate chips, and chopped pecans, reserving a few of each for the tops of the muffins.

Chocolate, nuts, cranberries, and chocolate muffin batter in a bowl

Cranberry muffin batter in a bowl

With a teaspoon, spoon the batter into prepared muffin tin.

Chocolate muffin batter in silicone liners

Sprinkle with the streusel mixture.

Streusel topping in a bowl

Chocolate muffins with streusel topping in muffin cups

Bake in preheated oven for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Baked chocolate cranberry muffins on a wire rack

Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.

Looking down at a chocolate muffin with orange zest on top, next to a bowl of red cranberries

  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 22-24 mintues
  • Category: Muffins
  • Method: Oven

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