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Orange Cranberry Muffins with Walnut Crumble

ByMeggen Wilson Posted on Updated on
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The perfect extra special muffin for sharing- Orange-Cranberry Muffins with Walnut Crumble

Why these Orange-Cranberry Muffins are so special-

  • They are award winning- I won 1st place in the Rural Montana magazine with this recipe.
  • The walnut crumble topping is sweet, crunchy and extra special .
  • Orange-Cranberry are the perfect flavor combination all Fall and Winter.
  • This recipe freezes very well. Bake some for today and freeze the rest for when cranberries are out of season.
  • This recipe is so special- makes a perfect gift.

Ingredients for Orange-Cranberry Muffins with Walnut Crumble:

  • walnuts
  • flour
  • granulated sugar
  • light brown sugar
  • salt
  • baking powder
  • unsalted butter
  • greek yogurt
  • fresh cranberries
  • orange zest

How to make these muffins:

  • Mix the crumble ingredients in a small bowl. Toss in the chopped nuts. Coat with cold butter pieces. Mix by hand until crumbly. Chill until needed.
  • Pre heat oven. Whisk dry ingredients together in large bowl. Whisk the eggs, yogurt and cooled melted butter together . Gradually add the wet ingredients, using a spatula, into the dry taking care not to over mix. Coat the sliced cranberries with sugar and orange zest. Fold into the cranberry mixture.
  • Butter the muffins tins or line with muffin liners. Scoop the muffin tin 3/4 full with the batter. Spoon over the chilled walnut topping over each muffin batter in the tins. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and fragrant.

Equipment Needed for this recipe:

  1. Large and small mixing bowls. Purchase my Mason Cash bowls HERE.
  2. Measuring cups and spoons
  3. Silicone spatula. Order my favorite spatula from Williams-Sonoma HERE
  4. 12 muffin pan
  5. Muffin liners or parchment paper- My favorite are HERE
  6. Microplane for zesting citrus.

Tips & Tricks:

  1. The batter seems heavy, but the muffns bake up light and tender. Slather with rich European butter or a delicious jam like Heavens to Betsy pear preserves.
  2. Mix the batter by hand in a large bowl. A stand mixer tends to make for an over-beaten batter- a no no when making quick breads.
  3. Be certain to chop your walnuts finely or else they will just burn. You want the walnut crumble to be very well coated in butter so chopping the nuts is key.
  4. Cutting the cranberries in half makes for better distribution of the fruit. Whole cranberries just sink to the bottom of the batter. Take a moment to cut them. Dried berries are NOT a good substitute for these berries. Frozen berries work great and are always available in most stores. Just thaw and pat dry.

Substitutions for this recipes:

  • Sour Cream can be used instead of Greek yogurt. Use the thickest you can find. Tillamook or Breakstones.
  • Pecans can be substituted for the walnuts- watch them carefully so they do not burn.

Serve these muffins along with:

Frequently asked Questions:

Do these muffins freeze well?

Yes, just cool completely after baking and freeze in a zip top bag. try and remove as much air as possible from the bag. They will last in the freezer about 3 months.

I’m allergic to nuts. What can I use instead?

Just omit the walnuts from the crumble topping. You can also substitute dry oats or pumpkins seeds into the crumble recipe.

Can I use gluten free flour?

I have not made this recipe with a gluten free flour, but almond flour would probably work fine or a gluten free flour like King Arthur

Other Pine & Palm Kitchen Muffin & Quick Bread recipes :

Cakey crumbles ready for a hot oven.

Orange Cranberry Muffins with Walnut Crumble
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Orange Cranberry Muffins with Walnut Crumble

Recipe by Meggen Wilson Course: Breads, Florida Kitchen, Holiday Baking, MOST POPULAR RECIPES, BrunchCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Calories

228

kcal

A unique recipe for Orange-Cranberry Muffins with Walnut Crumble. Perfect for Fall & Winter. Try out this award-winning muffin today!

Ingredients

  • Crumble Topping

  • 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

  • 1/2 cup flour

  • 2 TBSP granulated sugar

  • 2 TBSP light brown sugar

  • Pinch salt

  • 1/4 tsp baking powder

  • 3 TBSP unsalted butter, melted

  • For The Muffin batter

  • 2 cups AP flour

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 tsp baking powder

  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted & cooled

  • 11/2 cups fresh cranberries, sliced in half- do not skip this

  • 1 TBSP orange zest

Directions

  • For the Crumble- Mix the flour, granulated and brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a small bowl, stir in the toasted walnuts. Stir in the butter. with clean cold hands or a spoon mix the ingredients. The mixture will become crumbly. Chill until needed.
  • Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  • In a smaller bowl beat the eggs well. Stir in the yogurt and cooled butter.
  • In another bowl, combine the remianing sugar ( 1/4 cup) with the cranberries and orange zest.
  • Fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a spoon or spatula until well combined, but do not over mix. Fold in the cranberry mixture.
  • Generously, butter the sides and top of a 12- cup muffin pan.
  • With an ice cream scoop, spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Spoon over the walnut crumble, pressing it into the batter.
  • Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the muffins comes out clean.
  • Cool muffins on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Gently loosen with an off- set spatula or knife. Serve muffins warm.
  • You can freeze uneaten muffins for up to 3 weeks in an air tight container.

My love for entertaining began when I was in seventh grade and threw a surprise party for my mother (I did have to fess up about it so she could buy the wine).

I have been blissfully married to Hunky Hubbie for 34 years. We have three brilliant adult daughters (all of whom are off the company payroll) as well as two incredible son-in-laws, and one “they’ve been dating for 12 years — will they or won’t they?” honorary son-in-law.

For the last 20 years, we’ve split our time between our home in Northwest Montana and our downsized dream house in Winter Park, Florida, but in 2022 we loaded up the wagons and decided to “Go West”, making Montana our full time home.

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2 Comments

  1. I would like to try these, as they were recommended, but can’t find the ingredients list.

    Reply