Zesty Cranberry Orange Muffins

Zesty Cranberry Orange Muffins

​Bold, tart cranberry and sweet, zesty orange! A flavour pairing that was so meant to be!

Zesty Cranberry Orange Muffins

I combined fresh cranberries grown here in the Valley with fresh clementine oranges from California and Spain. Oh, yes! A flavour pairing that was meant to be! In addition, these Zesty Cranberry Orange Muffins are gluten free and FODMAP friendly. They're soooo yummy and each one contains only about one-third of the sugar and calories of a similar muffin from a popular restaurant! Although this muffin is smaller in size it's big on flavour!

Zesty Cranberry Orange Muffins

For the muffins shown in these photos I used Bob"s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour blend because it's widely available in local grocery stores and works well. If you're new to gluten-free baking a one-bag blend can be convenient, especially when you can use it with your favourite standard recipes with good results. You could also use another gluten-free flour blend  in this recipe if you prefer, or, if gluten free is not  a requirement, you could use any all-purpose flour. I have tried various substitutions with great results.

​To this flour blend I added a little oat bran. I also added some ground golden flaxseeds (golden flax flour from Valley Flax Flour) which are less conspicuous in the final product than brown flax flour/meal would be, but you could use either product. 

Even a small amount of fresh orange zest is important for imparting flavour. I grated the zest from a clementine before juicing it and and about 5 other clementines to obtain the half-cup of orange juice. I squeezed the juice by hand and added the pulp, too. 

​In the recipe below I suggest that you add a cup of cranberries, but I often add an additional half cup of berries for a total of 1 1/2 cups. I like to use whole cranberries, but you can chop them if you prefer. If you don't have fresh cranberries, frozen cranberries are convenient to use. No need to thaw them!  ​

The paper liners peel off easily!

​And more good news! When the muffins have cooled completely, the paper liners are easy to remove cleanly from the muffins! This was true even for the gluten-free vegan version I made without granulated sugar but with 1/3 cup of maple syrup. Depending on the ingredients you use, it may not look promising at first, but gradually the paper releases its hold as the muffins cool.

Topping with Coconut Milk Powder

​A sprinkling of coconut milk powder (or icing sugar) on top of the muffins makes for a pretty presentation. And for a more decadent muffin, how about a dark chocolate drizzle? If you're a chocolate lover there is no need for me to say any more, is there?

Zesty Cranberry Orange Muffins

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​ZESTY CRANBERRY ORANGE MUFFINS

​Bold, tart cranberry and sweet, zesty orange! A flavour pairing that was so meant to be! 

AUTHOR: Beverley Noseworthy 
MEAL: Breakfast/brunch, dessert, snack
DIETARY INFO: FODMAP friendly, gluten free, nut free, refined sugar free (optional), vegan (optional)
MAKES: 12 mufffins

INGREDIENTS

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend* 
• 1/4 cup rolled oats/oat flour, gluten free
• 2 tablespoons oat bran, gluten free
• 2 tablespoons flax meal/flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• pinch fine sea salt

WET INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup sugar (eg coconut or organic cane sugar)** 
• 1 egg, whisked (omit for vegan option)
• ​1/4 canola/grapeseed oil (or coconut oil, melted) 
• 1 teaspoon orange zest (grated from a fresh orange before juicing)
• 1/2 cup orange juice (I hand-squeezed 5 fresh clementine oranges)
• 1/2 cup milk (your preferred dairy or plant-based milk)

​
ADDITIONS

• ​1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

​TOPPING (Optional)

• dusting of coconut milk powder (or icing sugar if you prefer)
• 1/2 ounce dark chocolate, melted, for drizzling on top

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners (or omit liners and oil each cup).

2. In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. 

3. In a medium bowl add the wet ingredients and stir to combine. 

4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add the cranberries and fold into the batter.

5. Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full. If using a gluten-free flour blend allow batter to rest 5 minutes before baking. 

6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are firm and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

​7. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack 5 minutes. Then transfer each muffin to a rack to finish cooling. 

8. After the muffins have cooled completely you may add a topping, if desired, to those you plan to serve right away. 
​
9. Serve muffins immediately or store in an airtight container for a day or so. Muffins may be stored in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
 
TIPS 

• Check the ingredient list on the food packaging to ensure that each food item used in the recipe meets your dietary needs (e.g. gluten free or peanut free).  
• Regular oats/oat bran may have come in contact with wheat or other grains. If you need to avoid wheat and/or gluten, choose gluten-free oats.
• *I used Bob's Red Mill GF 1-to-1 Baking Flour (contains xanthan gum). You could use another gluten-free blend. If gluten-free is not required, however, you could use any all-purpose flour. 
• I used golden flax flour, but you could use brown flax flour/meal.
• If you use a different flour blend you may need to adjust the amount of milk. Add more than half of the milk and stir the mixture to see if the remainder, or more of the milk is required.  ​
• **If you would prefer to use sugar in a liquid form (eg maple syrup) instead of a granulated sugar in this recipe, add 1/3 cup and reduce the baking temperature to 350°F.

​​​PER SERVING, approximately (One muffin - vegan version, made with GF flour blend, coconut sugar and unsweetened almond milk, but without egg and optional toppings) 

Calories: 148
Carbohydrate: 30 g  
      Fibre: 2 g
      Sugars 12 g
Fat: 5 g
Protein: 2 g


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