Cranberry Whole-Grain Muffins

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Cranberry Whole-Grain Muffins

star rating (7) rate this recipe »
Published prior to 2008

These tender muffins, studded with cranberries and nuts and scented with orange are 100% whole-grain, and they taste great! This traditional Thanksgiving flavor combination, in muffin form, makes a delicious, healthy start to your day of feasting.

Muffins
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour or King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 cup (2 5/8 ounces) quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) buttermilk powder or nonfat dry milk
2/3 cup (4 5/8 ounces) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries,* chopped
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 tablespoon orange zest (finely grated orange peel)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (6 ounces) milk
1/3 cup (2 1/4 ounces) vegetable oil or melted butter

Glaze
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) orange juice
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar or 1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners' sugar, sifted

*For a sweeter muffin, substitute 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease the wells of a muffin tin, or line with papers, and grease the inside of the papers.

Muffins: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then stir in the cranberries and nuts. Whisk together the orange zest, eggs, milk, and oil or melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until blended; don't beat, or your muffins will be tough! Fill the muffin cups or liners about 3/4 full.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, leave them in the pan for 5 minutes, then take out of the pan and transfer them to a rack to finish cooling.

Glaze: In a small saucepan or the microwave, stir together the glaze ingredients. Bring just to a boil, to dissolve the sugar. Dip the tops of the warm muffins into the glaze. Yield: 12 muffins.

Reviews

1
  • star rating 04/16/2012
  • burwell from KAF Community
  • The muffins had a lot of flavor. I used dried cranberries, white whole wheat flour, butter and pecans. Per someone's posting I added cloves and nutmeg. Really good flavor.
  • star rating 03/11/2011
  • ponder from KAF Community
  • I have made this 3 times, and have passed on the recipe 3 times! I used pecans and a drop of the Fiori di sicili flavoring.
  • star rating 01/16/2011
  • jenmarieellis from KAF Community
  • made yummy muffin tops! going on another muffin top recipe from KAF, i baked them at 400* for 14 mins and they were just perfect! i used macademia nuts, dried cranberries and white choco chips, as well as added a tsp of vanilla and 1/2 tsp of orange extract - but i doubt i could taste these very much. anywho.. they were great and it made 12 muffin tops, for anyone curious. :)
  • star rating 12/11/2010
  • pintlermonkey from KAF Community
  • I followed the recipe exactly and these were really great. I make whole wheat muffins often and these were by far the most tender and moist.
  • star rating 03/23/2010
  • Lindsey from Arlington, VA
  • I've made these twice and the second time I used more zest (from an entire large orange) and frozen cranberries chopped up in a food processor. I also used pecans instead of walnuts. They were much better the second time around with those changes. Also: The glaze should read POWDERED sugar. The tops do not darken as they bake, so be sure to test the top with a finger to see when they are done, although I found the baking time to be accurate.
  • star rating 01/17/2010
  • Daniel W. Kurz from Flemington, NJ
  • Very easy to put together and really really nice in general. I get rave reviews from my friends and family. I made a couple changes; however, to the recipe that I think make it better. I used dried sweetened cranberries rather than fresh, regular rolled oats that I ground down to a course powder, I used walnuts as my nut of choice, and to compliment the nuts and orange I added a dash of ground cloves, nutmeg, and a 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. I thought the flavors really came together.
  • star rating 09/29/2009
  • Tim from Denver, CO
  • I've made the Cranberry Whole-Grain Muffins several times. It's very delicious and easy to prepare. Most recently, I tried adding two chopped cooking apples to the recipe (and slightly decreased the milk so the batter would have the same consistency). The results were really good.
1