Description
I posted a version of these about 10 years ago and these muffins are so different (and so much better!) that I’ve said farewell to that old Cooking Light recipe. Borrowed from Sally, she also suggests an orange icing and a crumb topping, but these are sweet-tart perfection without either. I did however, choose to generously sprinkle each muffin top with some coarse sugar before baking – enjoy!
Ingredients
1 3/4 c. (219 g) flour
1 t. EACH baking soda AND baking powder
1/2 t. EACH cinnamon AND salt
1/2 c. (113 g) butter, room temperature
1/2 c. (100 g) sugar AND 1/4 c. (50 g) dark brown sugar
1 T. orange zest (about 1 large orange)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 c. (120 g) sour cream (or plain yogurt), room temperature
2 t. vanilla
2 T. EACH orange juice AND milk, both at room temperature
1 1/2 c. (185 g) fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen, do not thaw – I used frozen)
coarse sugar for sprinkling before baking
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 and spray a 12-cup muffin tin. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and set aside.
Using your electric mixer, beat together the softened butter and both sugars for a couple of minutes until smooth. Scrape down the bowl, add in the orange zest, beat for another minute, then add in the eggs, sour cream and vanilla and beat a minute more. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on high for a minute or 2 again until the mix is well combined. The batter may look like it’s a bit curdled, but that’s okay.
With the mixer on low, carefully add the dry ingredients, then the orange and milk, and beat (scraping down the bowl as needed) until there is no trace of flour. Gently fold in the cranberries, do not over mix – the batter will be thick.
Spoon the batter evenly into your prepared muffin cups, and try your best to disperse the cranberries. Sprinkle each top generously with coarse sugar and bake at 425 for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, at the end of the 5 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 15 or so minutes. The total time for the muffins will be 19 to 22 minutes and an instant thermometer should come out of the middles at 200 degrees. Allow the muffins to rest in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing them to a rack to cool completely. These also freeze beautifully!