Cranberry Orange Poppyseed Muffins

These cranberry orange poppyseed muffins are delicious! They are so light and fluffy with bursts of cranberry and orange flavor. Such a special treat for the holiday season and are sure to be a family favorite.

These cranberry orange poppy seed muffins are what dreams are made of. I was looking for an excuse to use this jar of poppy seeds I bought on a whim. 

I can't deny a good muffin. 

It all starts with a yummy mixture of orange zest and fresh cranberries.  

You don't have to pre-cook these you just cut them in half and throw them in.  I left some of the cranberries whole. 

Plus it has poppy seeds and poppy seeds plus vanilla extract is totally yummy.

Not only are the muffins packed with fresh orange zest they also have fresh orange juice for an extra oomph of flavor.

Ingredients Needed

Here's what you'll need to make these muffins.

• buttermilk - I like to have my buttermilk at room temperature prior to baking anything, but you can warm it in the microwave for a few seconds
• butter - melt your butter
• eggs - two eggs and it doesn't matter if they are white eggs or brown eggs
• orange - you'll need the juice and zest of half an orange
• fresh cranberries - perfect during the holidays, they stay fresh for so long in your fridge, you won't need any dried cranberries for this
• vanilla extract - go for the real stuff if you can not the imitation, the real has so much more flavor
• flour - all purpose flour
• baking soda - to act with the buttermilk
• baking powder - for lift
• sugar - white sugar or a granulated cane sugar
• poppyseeds - you can find a jar of these at the grocery store, in the seasonings aisle
• salt - for flavor

I think my favorite thing about these muffins is the light and airy texture but also the big pops of cranberry. 

It's the perfect muffin to berry ratio, so each bite you get some cranberry, mixed with the orange zest and then the poppy seeds. It's majestic.  Muffin majestic-ness.   

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Cranberry Orange Muffin Tips

Want to know a muffin secret?  If you start the baking time higher, cook them for a bit then lower the temperature you'll get big muffin tops! 

The super hot heat makes them rise rapidly.  Just don't forget to lower the temperature. 

Another tip for big muffin tops is to fill your liner up so it's full, none of this ⅔ full business.

If you want to have extra festive muffins you can sprinkle some sparkling sugar on top!  A little fancy.

This is different than regular white sugar, Wilton makes this and you can find it at a local craft store or online.

These are by far my most favorite Christmas muffins to make.  They go perfect with a hot Starbucks, or if you're like me I just buy the Starbucks keurig cups.

FAQ

• Can I make these gluten free? I recommend Bobs Red Mill 1:1 to make them gluten free, I've always had success using this product as a substitute
• My muffins are dense, what happened? This can be caused by over mixing the batter

Winter Baked Goods Recipes

For a breakfast or brunch I love these maple pecan scones, banana bread (this is a double loaf recipe), or coffee cake bars with streusel topping.

For more dessert recipes I would try these maple cream cheese cinnamon rolls or these big fat pecan sticky buns!