Cranberry Orange Muffins with a Citrus Glaze

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I am splitting this into ‘dry’ ingredients and ‘wet’ ingredients - I think this makes it much easier and so much less intimidating for someone who, like me, is not a natural at baking.

INGREDIENTS:

‘Wet” Ingredients

• ½ Cup unsalted butter

• 2 Large egg

• ¼ Cup light brown sugar

• ½ Cup granulated sugar

• ½ Cup fat free greek yogurt

• 2 Teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• ⅓ Cup orange juice

• ¼ Cup skim milk

• 1 Tablespoon orange zest  (these two will be added last)

• 1 Cup dried cranberries (these two will be added last)

“Dry” Ingredients

• 2 Cups all purpose flour

• 1 Teaspoon baking powder

• 1 Teaspoon baking soda

• ½ Teaspoon salt

• ½ Teaspoon ground nutmeg

• ½ Teaspoon ground cinnamon

Orange Glaze (Optional)

• ⅓ Cup confectioners’ sugar

• 1 Tablespoons orange juice

KITCHEN ESSENTIALS FOR THIS RECIPE:

Stand Mixer

Mixing Bowl (Large & Small)

Measuring Cups

Whisk

Scraping spoon

Pam or equivalent (if not using cupcake liners)

Muffin tray

Muffin/Cupcake liners

Parchment paper

Cooling rack

Citrus Zester

PRE-COOKING PREP DIRECTIONS: 

Remember to take your butter out of the refrigerator as soon as you decide to bake!

• Preheat oven to 425°F 

• Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners

• I like getting the ‘messy’ part out of the way - so I would suggest to zest the orange peel first and set aside 

Starting with the ‘wet’ portion:

• Using a stand mixer fitted (paddle attachment), beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes, after a minutes, stop mixer & scrape down the sides - repeat this every minute or so until done

• Add granulated sugar and brown sugars to the butter and beat on high until creamy, about 3-5 full minutes - again, stop the mixer & scrape down the sides a couple of times (make sure you scrape the bottom so it all gets mixed in)

• Add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes 

• Stop to scrape down the sides and turn up to high speed until the mixture is combined and uniform in texture - again, make sure that you scrape the bottom

• Add the milk and orange juice and mix agan on medium

• Add the cranberries & sprinkle in the orange zest - turn mixer on low and then remove bowl from stand

• Using the scraper, I like to gently fold the mix again to ensure that the cranberries and zest are uniformly incorporated

For the ‘dry’ portion: 

• In a large bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt (I like to start with flour, then add each ingredient spaced apart so if you get interrupted, you can easily see where you are in the recipe)

• Slowly whisk the mixture together for a few minutes, don’t try to do this too quickly or you will have flour wafting all around you 

Combining ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ portions:

• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and slowly mix with a whisk  

• Gently whisk until combined and little lumps remain

• I used the scraper as well to get everything off the slides of the bowl and making sure that the bottom is all incorporated - I had to spend about 2 minutes doing this slowly to get the dry mix on the bottom to be well mixed

NOW FOR THE FUN PART - BAKING!

1. Fill the muffin pan - I tried using a measuring cup, but found that a regular old tablespoon worked best

2. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling them all the way to the top

3. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F

4. After 5 minutes, do not open the oven door, lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 18-20 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean  (Total time muffins take in the oven is about 23-25 min) 

   For mini muffins, bake at 350°F for about 11-13 minutes or until baked through. Use a toothpick to test for to check - they are done when it comes out clean

Citrus Glaze

1. In a smaller bowl, whisk the confectioner sugar with orange juice* until smooth - this is pretty quick 

2. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the cooling rack so it’s not messy

3. Once the muffins are done, place on the parchment paper/cooling rack, let them cool for 20-30 minutes

4. Drizzle over warm muffins - they will be ready to taste after a few minutes 

   *I wanted a very light glaze but if you would like more, increase the sugar to 1 cup and the orange juice to 3 tablespoons or for a ‘medium coating’ increase to 2 cups sugar with 2 tablespoons orange juice

   Enjoy!