Discover an easy tip to make the best, moist, and extra fluffy gluten-free cranberry orange muffins recipe! They have an extra boost of zesty flavor from an orange glaze frosting and can be made with fresh, frozen, or even dried cranberries. Dairy-free modifications included.
Melt the butter so it has time to cool before mixing with the other ingredients. Line standard-size muffin cups with paper liners or grease with nonstick cooking spray. The oven preheats later while the muffin batter rests. (This allows time for the gluten-free starches to soften and hydrate with the liquids.)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
In a large bowl whisk together the cooled butter, sugar, brown sugar, yogurt or sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract, and orange zest.
½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup sour cream or yogurt, 3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, zest of 2 oranges, ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
Stir in the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until no flour pockets remain. The batter will be thick. Gently fold in the halved cranberries until evenly distributed.
2 ¼ cup gluten free all purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
Preheat the oven to 350°F. While the oven is preheating, use a large trigger scoopto distribute the batter between the muffin cups. Use slightly wet fingers to pat down the tops evenly. If desired, gently press in additional halved cranberries on top.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool while the glaze is prepared.
For the glaze, mix together the powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl. It should be thin enough to drizzle over the tops, but not so thin it doesn't stick on top. Add additional powdered sugar or juice to adjust the consistency. Place a piece of wax paper under the cooling rack to catch any drips. Use a small spoon to drizzle the glaze over the tops. Let the frosting set before storing.
1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons orange juice
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Notes
storing and freezing
Once they have completely cooled and frosting has set, store in an airtight container up to 2 days at room temperature. Do not store in the fridge, or they will dry out.For optimal freshness, I freeze gluten-free muffin leftovers right away since they don’t stay fresh as long. Wrap the muffins in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe container up to 3 months.
dairy-free muffins
Even with the addition of butter and yogurt, these muffins can easily be made into a dairy-free recipe as well!Replace the yogurt with coconut or almond milk yogurt, the higher fat content the better. For the butter use vegan butter sticks, but cut the salt to ¼ teaspoon. You may also use melted coconut oil.Please note, the recommended flour, Cup4Cup, does contain milk powder in it, so it is not safe for a dairy-free diet. Substitute King Arthur Measure-for-Measure as an alternative.