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
Can you provide the carb count on the Cranberry Ornage & Pecan Muffins?
I’m calculating it out at 2.4g protein, 8g fat, 14.3g carbs, 236 calories each muffins when making 12 muffins with this recipe
They aren’t dry and crumbly if you measure the dry stuff correctly. I read above comments about them falling apart and being too dry so I didn’t pack down the almond or coconut flour. You just lightly spoon and shake the flours into a measuring cup and then use a knife to smooth the top so there’s some air in there still, and I also added 1 Tbsp of tapioca flour to the coconut flour measurement because I know that coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture and that tapioca flour may add a bit of starchiness and help sorta bind it better. I also did NOT over beat the mixture to blend everything. Just lightly stirred it. And did not even attempt to try a finished muffin until they were totally cooled. They were extremely moist.
Thanks for the detailed feedback Amanda! Hopefully it will be helpful to others who found the muffins crumbly. I’m happy to hear they turned out well!
These are excellent suggestions. After reading most of the comments I am sure to try these today.
Does tapioca flour add carbs?
Very excited about this recipe!! Attempted tonight: dry, crumbly, dense, even with adding more o.j., but undaunted. All my favorite ingredients, I’ll re-attempt.
I also was very excited to make these. Followed everything in the recipe and DID let them cool. They fell apart and except for the juicy cranberries, they are very very dry. I would like to try again but it’s such a waste of good ingredients. Do you think these could be made with regular flour?
Any idea on nutritional counts?
Calories?
They were delicious!!!!
What a waste of good ingredients. Dry and crumbly. Wont be making these puppies again :s
Mine were awful… dry dry dry…. I measured everything exactly….
I am sorry to hear that! My best guess would be that they may have been cooked too long or at too high a temperature.
Hello, I am just wondering if there are any alternatives to coconut flour here in he receipe?
These muffins are fantastic! Love the freshness of the orange zest and fresh cranberries. Packed the batter tightly and waited for them to cool completely and they came out great! Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
I made them this morning and they were extremely yummy. My family loves it. Thank you for the recipe.
Important note….175 degrees Celsius =350 degrees ferenheight.
Thank you for this. Was left stumped & was sure it was a typo. Pregnancy brain at its finest.
Thanks for the great recipe Carmen! I have made these 4 times and my family always seem to demolish them! Your Chunky Monkey Muffins are also so good!
Sadly, my first attempt at making these didn’t turn out so well… They fell apart completely and I lost half the muffin in the muffin tray. I will try to make them again, but this time let them cool fully in the tray (btw, the length of cooling time should be in the instructions).