Cranberry, Orange and Pecan Muffins
These Cranberry, Orange & Pecan Muffins are the perfect combination of tart and sweet. By using fresh cranberries rather then dried cranberries (which are packed with sugar) these are naturally sweetened with just honey and orange juice. They are Paleo, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Gluten Free & Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal.
Cranberries are a great fruit to stock up on during the few short weeks between late October and mid December when they are available fresh in stores. I buy bags of cranberries and store them in the freezer to use throughout the year in a variety of dishes. I have always found cranberries to be under appreciated, eaten primarily as a condiment alongside turkey or dried as craisins. I used to love snacking on craisins or adding them to salads but after discovering the amount of sugar they contained (1/4 cup has 4 teaspoons of sugar!), I quickly nipped that habit in the bud.
I have previously steered clear of cranberry muffins and loaves as I found the batters were always too sweet, over compensating for the sour berries. I can truthfully say that these are the first cranberry muffins I have ever tasted that I absolutely love. I used fresh cranberries rather than dried, to ensure each bite has a hint of tart flavour which is perfectly contrasted with the sweet orange zest. I love how juicy the cranberries become once baked, together with the crunchy pecans this results in a delicious muffin with lots of great texture. I have managed to quickly eat my way through a batch, enjoying them slightly warm for breakfast or as healthy protein packed afternoon snack. These Cranberry Orange muffins also freeze well so you can double the recipe and store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Love tasty muffin recipes? Here are a few others you might enjoy:
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Chunky Monkey Muffins
- Zucchini, Lemon & Poppy Seed Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins Topped with Pecans
- Butternut Squash, Spinach & Feta Muffins
- Zucchini, Cheddar & Pancetta Muffins
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Cranberry, Orange & Pecan Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups Almond Flour
- 1/3 cup Coconut Flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tbsp coconut oil melted
- 1 cup cranberries
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) and line a muffin tray with liners
- In a mixing bowl add the eggs, vanilla, melted coconut oil, honey, orange juice and zest. Add the baking soda on top of the orange juice so that it begins to foam and then add in the flours and stir on low speed until just combined, don’t over mix
- Using a spoon, gently stir in the fresh cranberries and chopped pecans
- Fill each muffin cup to the top with batter and gently press down on the batter to make sure they are firmly filled. I usually top each muffin with a few extra cranberries to make them look pretty.
- Bake in the over for approximately 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool completely for at least 20 minutes before removing from the tins.
Nutrition
These are awesome! So moist & tasty my family ate them all up & we are making another batch! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
It had no liquid and was dry- couldn’t have poured into a muffin tin. I think they left out water or some other liquid in the instructions.
I totally agree. I thought I missed an ingredient. Came out a little weird, dry like and gritty
I agree. Just made these and consistency is extremely thick. Added some water but still thick….like cookie dough. Taste good but would like to know if something is missing.
Yes!!! Like cookie dough! Great flavor but you need do eat along with tea, coffee or milk. Her lemon blueberry muffin recipe is so much better.
Oh yeah, there’s is a modest amount of orange juice…..
I calculated 213 per muffin.
Me too, the calorie count posted seems wrong
I noticed the recipe yield was 10 but the calorie count was for 12 servings, that must be why?
I made this with a twist, egg free. I substituted the eggs for pumpkin purée and mashed banana, they are lovely! Even my husband liked them! Thank you!
These are very good. I have tried many different recipes and these are the best so far. And it’s also nice that you use fresh crans and not dried. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you!! I am so happy you enjoyed them!
Made these today. They are absolutely delicious. Thanks for the recipe and the nutrition information provide with the recipe.
So happy to hear that you enjoyed them!
Perhaps there is some confusion over the orange juice ingredient. I take it as squeezed juice from the orange, is that correct? I wonder if adding orange juice concentrate would make them dry and crumbly as some people had problems with when making them. Thoughts?
I never considered that! You are right, I always use freshly squeeze so concentrate may impact the dryness of the muffins
I used the juice from the orange I zested and it was incredibly dry and crumbly. Your lemon blueberry muffin recipe is so much better.
I’m wondering if I could use regular flour or whole wheat flour in this recipe. They look so yummy and have all the other ingredients. Thanking you in advance and can already taste them.
Carb friendly, but HOW MANY carbs per muffin. Many of us are diabetic a nd need to know. THANK S
I totally messed this recipe up BUT they still turned out great! I didn’t pay attention when I made my grocery list and got dried cranberries and I didn’t have as much almond flour as I thought (I only had 1 1/2 cups) so I had to sub in more coconut flour. A little dry but they came out fine, didn’t totally crumbled like some said. Excited to try again but with the correct ingredients- lol!
Haha I was so worried after reading the first few words of your comment! I’m so happy they were a success even with the change in amounts! If you find they are a bit too crumbly store them in the fridge, I find that greatly improves the texture. Thanks for the comment Stephanie!
Carmen, you are a cooking goddess. Thank you. I have been a home-baker, organic non GMO wheat grinder since the buggy days. My baking days came to an abrupt halt when we realized my labor of love was harming our youngest son. Needless to say, we are on a new course, a new life eating path. My first attempts of baking with GF, DF ingredients were failures. UNTIL these WONDERFUL muffins. They were delicious, and the flavor profile was similar to my families favorite, which I had to toss. Actually these are better, you have the tart-sweet balance perfect. I have printed off many of your recipes and have already tried 3. My family have enjoyed them. I am cannot wait to make your lemon curd. I is our peeps favorites. Great Blog! Great Recipes! Very Good Directions!
Thank you Louise! Your comment has made my week! I am so happy that you enjoyed the muffins, they are one of my favourites. Grain free baking can be such a difficult process with so many failures, it drives me crazy sometimes! Let me know if you try any other recipes, the lemon curd is one of my favourites that I can never get enough of, I eat it by the spoonful. Thank you so so much for the kind comment, I really appreciate it. I hope that your sons health has improved with your new way of eating. Happy baking!
Was wondering if this recipe could be baked in mini bread pans instead of a muffin tin?
Yes definitely! They would turn out just as well in mini bread pans.
HI. Can I used dried canberries? will that make a difference in the moistness?
Hi Michelle, I think it may make the muffins slightly less moist. You could swap the cranberries for fresh blueberries instead or alternatively if you are going to use dried cranberries I would suggest adding another teaspoon of orange juice.
How many carbs are in these muffins?
How come you said this recipe is dairy free when there are eggs involved?
I do not classify eggs as dairy as they do not contain any of the same proteins or sugars found in dairy products. If you are looking for both dairy and egg free recipes then check out the vegan section in the recipe index.
Eggs don’t come from cows. Therefore, eggs are not dairy foods.
Can I use regular flour instead of both the almond and rice flour?
Unfortunately I wouldnt recommend that, almond flour is a very dense flour that cannot be substituted. Sorry about that!
Where do you get almond and coconut flour? Thanks
Any health food store or Whole foods should have these speciality flours. Alternatively, I normally order them off amazon where they are cheaper.
How many calories does Cranberry, Orange, Pecan muffins have?
I was wondering how many grams of sugar per muffin? I am Diabetic.
Try using Monksfuit for sweetener, available from Amazon
Thanks for the tip!
what is the carb count , fiber count and protein count in these? The honey and orange juice I am leary of due to the amount of carbs naturally in these.
Just made a batch of these! What a Lovely texture! They are delicious! 15 minutes later we only have 6 left! ! My family love them! I can’t believe something so tasty can be so low in carbs!
Cheers Denis
Great to hear these were a hit with your whole family! If you are a fan of the texture you can always switch up the flavours by swapping orange for lemon and cranberries for another fruit, the recipe is super versatile!