Chocolate Cranberry Orange Muffin Recipe
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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 the perfect addition to the festive season. 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 are great for a Christmas morning breakfast or brunch spread. Plus, they’ll fill your home with the festive scents of chocolate, orange, and cranberry, putting friends and family in the holiday spirit.
Key Ingredients
- Cocoa Powder – You’ll need natural cocoa powder (not Dutch processed) for both the topping and the muffin batter. I recommend weighing the cocoa powder rather than relying on volume measurements, otherwise the muffins might be too dry, or the crumble topping too moist.
- 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. Omit the nuts for an allergy-friendly muffin.
- Unsalted Butter – Mixed with cocoa powder, brown sugar, nuts, and flour, unsalted butter creates the crumbly streusel topping. The butter should be cold, rather than at room temperature—you’ll work it into the dry ingredients using the same “rubbing-in” method used to make scones and shortbread.
- 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; the pieces produced by a box grater are too large, and can add a chewy texture.
- 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. And I don’t recommend using dried cranberries for this muffin recipe. (Save those to make cranberry scones or a batch of mini Christmas puddings instead!)
- 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 or milk chocolate instead.
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 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 silicone 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 five 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.
Chocolate Cranberry Orange Muffin Recipe
- Total TimeAbout 1 hour
- Yield12 muffins 1x
Chocolate muffins filled with cranberries, pecans, orange zest, and white chocolate chips, plus a crunchy streusel topping.
Ingredients
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, at room temperature
100 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.
Add the orange zest and whisk to combine.
Add the cold butter. With your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
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).
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, granulated sugar, milk, canola oil, and orange zest.
In a small bowl, combine cranberries with 1 teaspoon flour, and toss with a fork.
With a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Do not overmix. (Batter will be lumpy.)
Fold in the cranberries, white chocolate chips, and chopped pecans, reserving a few of each for the tops of the muffins.
With a teaspoon, spoon the batter into prepared muffin tin.
Sprinkle with the streusel mixture. Dot the tops with the reserved cranberries, nuts, and chocolate.
Bake in preheated oven for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
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.
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.
Other Muffin Recipes You Might Enjoy
Strawberry Muffins
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
Mixed Berry Oatmeal Cornmeal Muffins
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Blueberry Muffins
Chocolate Chip Zucchini 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!
