Cranberry Orange Sourdough Muffins
These moist and flavorful muffins are the perfect combination of tart cranberries and zesty orange, with a crunchy sugar topping making them an ideal breakfast or snack option.
Servings: 24 Muffins
Calories: 184kcal
Equipment
- muffin liners
- mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups cranberries fresh or frozen
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large orange zest and juice
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- ⅔ cup neutral oil canola or vegetable
- ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- coarse sugar for topping
Instructions
- Move the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease two muffin pans with nonstick spray or line them with muffin papers. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt until well combined.
- Chop the 3 cups cranberries in half. Smaller cranberry pieces are less likely to sink to the bottom of the muffins.
- Add the chopped cranberries to the flour mixture. Toss them gently to coat. Coating the cranberries in flour will help keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
- In a separate bowl, add the 1 ½ cups granulated sugar and the zest from 1 large orange. Massage and pinch to zest into the sugar.
- Add the 1 cup sourdough discard, ⅔ cup neutral oil, ½ cup buttermilk, 3 large eggs, juice from 1 large orange, and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few lumps are fine.
- Divide the muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups filling nearly to the top.
- Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a pinch of coarse sugar.
- Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and continue to bake for 13 to 16 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
- Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin, if it comes out clean, the muffins are done.
- Allow the muffins to cool for several minutes in the muffin pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Storage: These muffins will stay moist for a couple of days when stored at room temperature. Leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
For longer storage keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week.
They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and place them in a zip-top bag. Thaw muffins at room temperature.
Tips
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- Muffins bake best on the middle rack of the oven. Too low and the bottoms will burn, too high and the tops will brown too quickly.
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- If you are using frozen cranberries, there is no need to defrost them first.
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- Rinse and pick through the fresh or frozen cranberries, discarding any bad ones.
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- Make sure the cranberries are coated with the flour mixture before adding the wet ingredients. This will ensure they are evenly distributed throughout the batter and they won't sink to the bottom.
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- When zesting an orange, you only want to use the outer orange layer, not the bitter white pith.
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- Don’t over-mix the batter. A few lumps are fine. Overmixing will create too much gluten causing your muffins to be tough.
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- Use a cookie scoop to evenly portion the cupcake batter into the muffin pans.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 184kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 138mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 58IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
