These Cranberry Muffins are incredible! They are soft, moist, and have a beautiful tart cranberry burst balanced with a sweet white chocolate flavor. It’s a quick and simple cranberry muffin recipe that the whole family will love.
Holiday time is all about baking. Whether you’re baking with kids, for parties, or having a baking party with kids! No one probably bakes more during the year than in November and December.
Some of the best holiday baking flavors are cranberries, gingerbread, eggnog and peppermint! That’s already a lot but there are even more. Cranberries are our favorite though. There is something about combining the tart flavor of cranberries with sweet treats that is quite pleasant for the taste buds.
These muffins are my family’s favorite in particular! They are so soft inside and the flavor combination of fresh cranberries and white chocolate chips is popping.
How To Make Cranberry Muffins
Preheat the oven to 400℉ and line a standard muffin baking pan with parchment paper muffin cup liners.
Start by whisking sugars and eggs vigorously for a few seconds, until light in color and fluffed.
Next, whisk in buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until combined.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and whisk until just incorporated. (Don’t overmix!)
Finally, use a spatula to fold in the cranberries and white chocolate chips until they’re evenly spread throughout.
Scoop some batter into each lined muffin cup, filling them about 2/3 full. (Don’t overfill!)
Bake cranberry muffins for 18-20 minutes, take them out of the oven, and cool them on a wire rack.
Tips and Recommendations
- Don’t overmix the muffin batter or the muffins could deflate and come out dense and chewy.
- Always check your baking powder and baking soda before baking, especially if you don’t bake often. Baking powder and baking soda should be used within 6 months after opening or they loose their potence and don’t work well.
- Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the muffin batter into the cups so you get the same amount each time.
- Feel free to play around and add some other mix-ins like nuts or fried berries.
- To get a sweet crunchy top, feel free to sprinkle some sparkling sugar on top, before baking.
Storing Suggestions
Storing: store baked cranberry muffins in an air-tight food storage container at room temperature for 2-3 days. To store longer, store them in the refrigerator.
PRO TIP: Remember that humidity will affect the shelf life of baked goods stored at room temperature! Shelf life in a humid environment is shorter. (So if you live in a humid climate, it’s best to store in the refrigerator if storing for longer than 1 day.)
How To Freeze Cranberry Muffins
Place/stand the muffins inside a large zip-lock bag, side by side, and close the bag. Place the bag on the cutting board so the muffins are standing. This will make it easier to freeze them so they don’t push on each other!
Freeze for at least 2 hours (set a timer if needed). Once the muffins are frozen, get as much air out of the bag as you can, label and remove the cutting board. Muffins will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To Warm Up: Thaw muffins on the counter, at room temperature, for about 30 minutes. After that, you can warm them up in a oven at 350°F for 5-7 minutes, in a microwave for a few seconds, or in an air-fryer at 350°F for 2-3 minutes.
Some More Recipes To Try
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White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup low fat buttermilk
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chip
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ and line the muffin baking pan with parchment paper muffin cups. (I recommend parchment paper because it's easy to peel them off but you can use any muffin cup liners.)
- Combine sugars and eggs in the mixing bowl and whisk vigorously for a few seconds, until light in color and fluffed.
- Whisk in buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and whisk until just incorporated. (Don't overmix!)
- Fold in the cranberries and white chocolate chips until they're evenly spread throughout.
- Use an ice cream scoop to get even amounts of batter and fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Cool muffins on a wire rack.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the muffin batter or the muffins could deflate and come out dense and chewy.
- Always check your baking powder and baking soda before baking, especially if you don’t bake often. Baking powder and baking soda should be used within 6 months after opening or they loose their potence and don’t work well.
- Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the muffin batter into the cups so you get the same amount each time.
- Feel free to play around and add some other mix-ins like nuts or fried berries.
- To get a sweet crunchy top, feel free to sprinkle some sparkling sugar on top, before baking.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in December 2013.
Judith Donn says
I made these gluten-free with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free 1 to 1 baking flour. I used regular chocolate chips, and they were absolutely delicious! The recipe worked fine with the gluten-free flour.
LyubaB says
That’s fantastic to hear! I’m glad to know that the recipe worked well with gluten-free flour. It’s great to know that the recipe is adaptable to different types of flour. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Sibille says
Do you cut the cranberries in half before mixing into the batter?
LyubaB says
Hi,
I didn’t cut them in half when making this recipe. Hope you enjoy the muffins.
Amy J Placzek says
Can I use dried cranberries in this recipe? Should I re-hydrate them first?
Thank you!
LyubaB says
It’s not going to be the same since the fresh one adds more moisture to it. I would try to rehydrate them in cranberry or apple juice first but they will be a little denser.