Best Cranberry Walnut Muffins (With Orange Glaze!)

These amazingly flavorful cranberry walnut muffins are bursting with bright tart cranberries and the nutty flavor of walnuts! A drizzle with orange glaze finishes these perfect holiday muffins. Enjoy them in the morning with a cup of hot tea or coffee or enjoy them for an afternoon snack.

Jump to Recipe

Nothing says the holidays are here more than seeing the fresh bright red cranberries in the produce aisle! I look forward to making all the cranberry recipes and these cranberry walnut muffins are at the top of my list. So simple to make yet full of bright fresh flavors. To dress them up even more top them with orange glaze!

Cranberry Nut Muffin Ingredients

Flour – This recipe uses all-purpose flour.

Sugar – Regular granulated sugar is great for this recipe.

Baking Soda – This recipe uses a combination of baking soda and baking powder for
the perfect rise and flavor.

Baking Powder – Baking powder activates when it is added to the batter. Use in
combination with baking soda for the perfect taste and rise.

Salt – Just a pinch of salt is necessary for this recipe. I used about a 1/4 teaspoon.

Eggs – Eggs add moisture, structure, and volume to these yummy muffins. Allow eggs
to warm to room temperature before baking for best results.

Oil – Canola or vegetable oil is great for this recipe. You could also use coconut oil if it is liquid.

Almond Extract – This almond extract adds too much complimentary flavor to this
recipe! You can also add a bit of vanilla as well if desired.

Orange Juice – Orange is one of my favorite compliments to cranberry and using
orange juice for a liquid just adds even more flavor to these muffins.

Cranberries – Use whole fresh cranberries that are washed and allowed to fully dry.

Walnuts – Lightly chop walnuts to evenly distribute throughout the muffins. You could also use pre-chopped walnuts to make this recipe even more simple.

Orange Glaze Ingredients
Powdered Sugar – Powdered sugar is granulated sugar that is ground into a very fine powder. This makes the glaze soothe and glassy.

Orange Juice – Instead of water or milk like a traditional glaze, this recipe uses orange juice to give it a fresh bright flavor!

How to make Cranberry Walnut Muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Spray grease your muffin tin or line the muffin tin with paper liners.

 3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, measure in flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt and mix together until combined.

4. In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, then add oil, orange juice, and almond extract. Mix together until totally combined.

5. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredient bowl. Mix together until combined. Avoid over-mixing.

6. After the batter is fully incorporated, fold in cranberries and chopped walnuts.

7. Scoop muffin batter into muffin tin filling about 3/4 full.

8. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

9. While the muffins are baking make the glaze by whisking together powdered sugar and orange juice.

10. Once muffins are baked and cooled to the point where they can be handled, dip or drizzle glaze on each muffin top.

11. Enjoy warm or the next day for brunch!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Avoid over-mixing muffin batter. Over-mixing can cause the muffins to be tough and not as moist. Skip the mixer and opt to hand mix your muffins. Unlike cakes, muffins are OK to have a few lumps in the batter.
• If fresh cranberries are unavailable you can substitute them with dried cranberries. This will produce a slightly different result, but you will still get a lovely cranberry flavor.
• Only fill the muffin tin 3/4 full. This leaves room for them to have a gentle rise without spilling too far over the muffin tin.
• Each oven will bake slightly differently. To see if your muffins are done, look for a light golden edge and the top of the muffin will spring back after touching. You can also insert a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the muffins are finished baking.
• Cool muffins only enough to handle before applying the glaze. Warm muffins will soak in more glaze!
• Use spray oil to grease muffin tins or line them with paper muffin liners. This is a personal preference and the choice is yours!

Storage

Store your muffins in a sealed container. Add a layer of paper towels to the bottom of the container. Line the paper towels with muffins and cover. You can also freeze these muffins in a freezer-safe bag.

Serving

These muffins are beautiful to serve almost any time of day. They are great to bake the night before and serve for breakfast, or brunch, with hot tea or coffee. These are also delicious for an afternoon snack slathered with butter!

The glaze on these muffins dresses them up and gives them a special holiday feel. Any way you decide to serve them, they are sure to be a crowd- pleaser!

More Questions About Baking with Cranberries

Can I substitute dried cranberries for fresh cranberries?

Yes, you can substitute with dried cranberries. Use 3/4 Cup of dried cranberries for every 1 cup of fresh cranberries.

Can I use frozen cranberries in baking?

Yes, you can use frozen cranberries. No need to defrost them before baking. Just stir into your batter as you would fresh cranberries.

Do cranberries need to be cooked before using in baking?

No need to cook cranberries before adding them to your muffins. Just wash and dry cranberries and fold them into your batter!

More Muffin Recipes to Try

• Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins
• Strawberry Shortcake Muffins

Conclusion

Cranberry walnut muffins are a delicious treat for breakfast or snacks, especially during the holidays when fresh cranberries are widely available! I hope you enjoyed this muffin recipe – if you did, be sure to share it with your friends!