Dried Cranberry Muffins with Yogurt

Dried cranberry muffins with yogurt and orange juice that are lower in sugar than others but just as fluffy and flavorful. Easy breakfast treat even my kids love. If you went crazy over our leftover cranberry cobbler, this is another dish you can make with these red fruits.

Mini Cranberry Muffins Recipe

The orange zest is optional for these but is a nice addition for sure. You can use navels, or tangerines for the juice and zest. Or…leave it out if you’d rather. Some like the glaze, other skip to make healthier. As “regular” size is great but mini muffins are even more fun for kids and they sure are yummy.

Now if you wanted to make healthy cranberry bread you could use this same recipe or our banana cranberry bread. Just use a 9×5″ loaf pan and fill 3/4 of the way full. Bake for closer to 50 minutes for that. Ovens vary slightly so 45-60 minutes is the range to ensure it bakes all the way thru.

Use a hand or stand mixer to blend together. I love my KitchenAid so I go with that. Make sure that with any baking project you combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. This is important as baking is sorta’ a science and mixing the two too early will mess things up.

More than anything it will likely make things more dense and not as fluffy as you’d like them to be. Preheating is always an important step to not skip as well. To make a quicker cleanup, use muffin cup liners.

Muffins with Dried Cranberries

I think the blend of orange and berries is a great pop. If you just wanted the one to pop then by all means substitute that for cranberry juice to enhance that one flavor. There are lots of ways to tweak y’all. A pinch of crushed nuts is another add in option as well. 😉

Ingredients

1. All purpose flour
   1. another tip is to always measure flour properly
   2. you could substitute for white whole wheat flour
2. Milk
3. Yogurt or you could use oil
4. Egg
5. Orange juice
6. Sugar
7. Baking powder and salt
8. Muffin tin

Then you add your dried cranberries, juice and zest if you want that added shebang. I have even just used a spoonful of leftover cranberry sauce recipe with orange juice if that was all I had on hand.

Should you rehydrate dried cranberries before baking?

No, there is no need to do this. They won’t get plump like fresh but when baked in muffins you don’t really want that anyway. In the batter and heat will make them super tender though and chewy like raisins but with a sweeter flavor.

You can adjust things to be healthier than others, like using olive oil vs. vegetable. Keep in mind that will alter the flavor slightly as it has a stronger flavor than it’s counterpart. Fat free milk can also be used instead of whole which will make them low fat but with that there will be a difference too. More fat = more moist, take your pick.

These are lower in sugar than many other varieties for sure. Our pumpkin cranberry bread is a huge favorite but definitely has more fat and calories than these do. If you want to add a muffin glaze to the top of some of them you can by just whisking the following ingredients together:

Orange Juice Glaze Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 tsp orange juice
• 2 tsp milk or maple syrup

You just blend all of these together. Make thicker with more sugar or thin with more liquid. I have used this at times for these and our lemon muffin recipe when I want it to be more like a cupcake. 😉

Using fruit is a great way to add lots of flavor to baked goods. We usually use naners like our coconut banana bread muffins but during the holidays we’ll change it up with these. We have a printable recipe available at the bottom of this post but here is a quick rundown;

How to Make Dried Cranberry Muffins

• Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Squeeze and zest orange. In a cup mix that fresh orange juice and milk together. Set aside.
• In a bowl mix together egg, oil and sugar. Then add your orange/milk mixture.
• Mix together dry ingredients in another bowl, then fold into wet mixture until well blended. Fold in dried cranberries.
• Line the muffin pan with papers or spray lightly with non stick spray. Fill 3/4 of the way full. Bake 18 minutes or just until tops are very lightly browned and middle springs back when gently touched.
• You can test with a toothpick inserted in middle too. If only crumbs are attached and insides aren’t wet they are done too.

You never want to over-bake them or they will dry out. The best way to do this is take out immediately once middle is cooked thru and transfer to a cooling rack. If not the hot pan will continue baking them essentially and dry them out.

What are the pros and cons of dried cranberries?

Many brands of dry add significant amounts of sugar to offset the natural tartness of cranberries, increasing calorie content and making them less suitable for those managing blood sugar levels or aiming to reduce sugar intake. BUT they are also easily stored and have a long shelf life compared to fresh.

Is it OK to put frosting on muffins?

I mean that is up to you, decide for yourslef. You can drizzle the frosting on when they’re still warm or at room temperature. Leave plain for healthier versions. I have not used fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries for these but I imagine that would work just as well. Those are harder to find and not always found in grocery stores year round so I stick with this version.

I will make my own Instant Pot cranberry sauce every year though because it’s so much better than canned.