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
First I was skeptical of those that said they were dry, but then I made them and now see what they are talking about. I think these muffins are delicious but could maybe use 1 cup of orange juice instead the 1/2 cup stated. Next time I’ll try that.
These are the best muffins ever, and so simple! This is now my go-to recipe for all muffins. They are so moist and full of flavor!
Attempting these babies tomorrow. Thoughts on using 1/3 of oats in place of the coconut flour?
Oh no. Substituting flours did not work : ( What a disaster.
Love these!! I replaced honey with swerve sweetener and walnuts for pecans…my favourite afternoon snack with a coffee! 💕
Do I need to spray tin or use papers
Made with raspberries instead of cranberries.. sooooooo good!!!!!
Sounds simple and delish…making these for a ladies brunch next week. Is the orange zest fresh or liquid substitute? Thank you.
Fresh! Let me know how they turn out!
They turned out perfect, moist and delicious. I substituted coconut flour with arrowroot flour and vanilla extract with almond since I didn’t have either.
Just made the muffins and they turned out perfect! Wouldn’t change a thing. The muffins were also perfectly moist! Will be baking these year round.
Can you substitute regular flour instead of the other flours you listed?
Could you make these with just almond flour and not the coconut?
I havent tried it to be honest. Ideally add another flour like tapioca to help absorb some of the excess moisture.
These are absolutely delicious! Simple and easy to make and SO good! The house smells lovely when they are baking. I didn’t have Coconut Flour so subbed for Tapioca and they came out light and fluffy. Thank you! My go to recipe for Muffins.
So happy to hear that they worked with the coconut flour substitution!
Amazing!! I followed the recipe and they were so simple to make and absolutely perfect! We made them for Thanksgiving brunch and ate them for brunch, and lunch dessert, and late night snack, and breakfast the next morning before we made another batch! Thanks for the recipe!
Delicious! I liked the tartness. Didn’t have a muffin pan so baked it in 9” square Pyrex pan for 35 minutes.
These were great! But I would definitely double the cranberries next time, the muffins needed more cranbell (haha)!
These are delicious! I’m just learning to bake gluten free. These are the first things that I’m made that I really liked. I don’t know what I did wrong but they totally fell apart into crumbles
Good crumbles but not sure what I did wrong.
It is typical for gf baked good to have more crumb since you have no gluten to hold things together. Some are more so than others. you will see xanthan gum used in many gf baked goods to help with that. The average amount is 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup of gf flour–do not use if the gf flour you use has already added it. Don’t be tempted to use more as it will gum up the food. Always mix it in the dry ingredients well before adding wet.
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.
These are delicious. I use regular orange juice , a tablespoon each of maple syrup and coconut sugar—family likes it sweet
Thanks for the feedback!
I used apple sauce instead of oil and egg whites instead of whole eggs. They are DELICIOUS!!!