Bakery-Style Cranberry Orange Walnut Muffins – The Best Homemade Breakfast Recipe
Start your morning right with these tangy and sweet Cranberry Orange Walnut Muffins! Made with fresh orange juice, orange extract, and crunchy walnuts, these moist muffins are bursting with flavor in every bite. Whether you’re craving a grab-and-go breakfast or a cozy afternoon treat, this recipe is simple, delicious, and can be baked as muffins or a loaf. Plus, they freeze beautifully for meal prep!
Jump to Recipe
If you love citrus muffins, check out my Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Recipe Inspiration
As someone who loves baking and has traveled extensively, I always collect cookbooks from places I visit. This recipe is inspired by a beloved recipe from a Maine cookbook I picked up during our family trip to Acadia National Park. I’ve tweaked the original recipe to make these muffins extra soft and flavorful!
In 2012 we took our family on a road trip vacation to Maine and then returned again in 2018 while on our 4,000+ mile, 16 day road trip up the east coast of USA through the border to New Brunswick and Québec, Canada to the Gaspésie Peninsula.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure here.
In 2012, I snapped the most memorable photo I have ever taken (and unfortunately, due to our house fire, I don’t know where the original is saved…so thanks to Facebook for keeping the image safe for me…even if it is a blurry download!) My hubby was scaling the big boulders with our 2 year old son during a GORGEOUS sunset at the Bass Harbor Lighthouse at Mount Desert in Acadia National Park, Maine. I remember this moment like it was yesterday. It was just a moment of feeling so grown up and yet so young all at the same time and it just left such an imprint on my heart.
And, while I’m at it…this was another photo that I just adore (again, blurry, but at least I have a copy from Facebook!) My little man, tossing rocks into the cove! It was just magical.
Why not one more memory for my own sake…when I come back to make this recipe again…lol. My girlie and I at Thunder Hole, Acadia National Park.
Although we have taken our kids to amazing places like Germany, France, Austria, Canada and most of the USA, this vacation to Maine still remains my most favorite vacation of all time. We tent camped, hiked all over Acadia National Park, had to pay by the minute for showers, visited Bar Harbor, and soooo much more! {If you know us, our vacations are non-stop}. There was something just so fairytale about it. I have always thought that I was a mountains girl…but I equally love the ocean just as much. And although we’ve lived in 3 states that had both, the mountains in Maine are ON the ocean! It’s no secret that I love Maine, and my family knows that I long to live there…like so bad! But, we chose to make the move to Wisconsin from the beautiful North Carolina to be closer to family…so Maine has to remain one of my favorite vacation spots at this time.
Whenever we travel, I always, like for real, always, buy a cookbook with local recipes from the area we are visiting. I have an entire shelf full of cookbooks from all over the world at at this point! So, the other day when my son asked for me to make orange muffins, I knew just the place to look for a recipe! My cookbook from Maine!
Let’s Make These Cranberry Orange Walnut Muffins Together!
I modified a few things from the original recipe, that was intended for a bread, and I’m really happy with how they turned out!
- STEP 1: Mix dry ingredients – In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and flour
- STEP 2: Prepare wet ingredients – In a measuring cup, beat egg and orange juice
- STEP 3: Combine – Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients. Mix gently; do not over mix
- STEP 4: Add flavors – Stir in orange extract, fresh cranberries, and chopped walnuts
- STEP 5: Divide batter into muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown
These muffins were really yummy! Next time, I plan to make the recipe as a bread loaf. Mmmm, how I love bread! I hope you love these Cranberry Orange Walnut Muffins as much as we do! If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments below. Do you prefer them as muffins or a loaf? Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @gatheredinthekitchen so I can see your delicious creations!
Frequently Asked Questions
- ❓ Can I use dried cranberries instead of fresh? Yes! If using dried cranberries, soak them in warm orange juice for 5-10 minutes to rehydrate them before mixing into the batter.
- ❓ Can I make these muffins gluten-free? Absolutely! Swap all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour for a gluten-free version.
- ❓ How do I store these muffins? Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Cranberry Orange Muffins with Walnuts
Ingredients
- 2 c flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 c sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c orange juice
- 1 tbs orange extract
- 2 tbs butter, melted
- 2 tbs hot water
- 1 c dried cranberries
- 1 c walnuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
- In another bowl, combine egg, orange juice, orange extract, and butter. Mix.
- Add hot water to the egg mixture.
- Fold in dry ingredients just enough to combine. Do not over mix or heat the batter.
- Gently fold in cranberries and walnuts.
- Spoon into muffin pan lined with muffin papers.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden and a toothpick stuck in the middle of a muffin comes out clean
More Delicious Bread Recipes!
Looking for more bakery-style breakfast treats? Try my Blueberry Oatmeal Loaf or Strawberry Oatmeal Bread or Orange Slice Cake Bread! You could also give these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Greek Yogurt a try or this Baked Oatmeal with Strawberries, Bananas and Chocolate Chips!
![](https://gatheredinthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/xo-Stephanie-Signature.jpg")
Stephanie—home cook, DIY addict, seasonal decor fanatic, and proud chicken wrangler living in a Victorian house that’s always a project. Whether I’m cooking with garden-fresh ingredients, herding mischievous chickens, or tackling another DIY, I’m here to share the fun (and chaos).
Heya,
In this recipe, the instructions say to combine the egg but the ingredient list does list eggs. How many shall I add?
Thank you,
Olivia
Your recipe ingredients list left out “egg”. However, the instruction portion in step #4 mentioned combining “egg” with the other liquid ingredients. I caught it in time, but I was disappointed because I had used another receipe the day before that also left out key ingredients that I did not catch and those muffins were a disaster. Lots of good stuff, lost to the garbage. So, while I think these muffins will be great (they’re still baking”, I sure don’t want someone else to lose all their work to the waste can. Thanks, Susan
Oh my goodness! Thank you, Susan for catching my mistake! I greatly appreciate you bringing that to my attention. I have corrected the recipe – it is 1 egg. Thanks again!