Chocolate Cranberry Muffins

5 from 14 votes

These bakery-style Muffins with Cranberries and Chocolate are beyond delicious! Moist, tender and loaded with tart fresh cranberries and rich chocolate baking chips, this cranberry muffin recipe is the perfect addition to your holiday table!

Recipe can be scaled up or down by using the slider if you hover your mouse over the number of Servings.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberry muffin recipe, cranberry muffins, muffins with cranberries

Servings: muffins

Calories: 228kcal

Author: Cheyanne Holzworth

Equipment

1 Standard 12-Cup Muffin Tin (or Jumbo Muffin Pan - SEE NOTES)
2 Mixing Bowls
1 Whisk

Ingredients

2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour – spooned & leveled
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs – at room temperature
½ Cup Canola Oil (can substitute Vegetable Oil)
1 Cup Buttermilk (or Whole Milk) - at room temperature (SEE NOTES)
2/3 Cup Full-Fat Greek Yogurt - at room temperature
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 ¼ Cups Cranberries (fresh or frozen) – coarsely chopped (about 4.5 ounces) (SEE NOTES)
¾ Cup Chocolate Chips - plus more for topping, optional (5 ounces) (SEE NOTES)
Coarse Decorative Sugar – for topping, optional (SEE NOTES)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners OR spray the cavities of the muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Dry Ingredients: In a large sized bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix well. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Set the bowl aside.
Wet Ingredients: In a medium sized bowl whisk together the sugar, eggs and oil. Add in the milk, yogurt and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined and pale yellow in color.
Add Wet to Dry: Add the wet ingredients to the well in the flour mixture. Fold together, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to gently mix everything together. Be careful to mix until flour is just combined. (Note: The batter should still be lumpy)
Add Cranberries + Chocolate: Gently fold in the cranberries and white chocolate.
Fill Muffin Tins: Pour the muffin batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each tin all the way to the top. Optional: Sprinkle a few chocolate chips onto the top of the batter. Very gently press the chips slightly into the batter. Sprinkle the tops of batter with decorative sugar.
Bake: Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425 degrees F. Keeping the oven door closed, reduce the oven temperature to 350 F. Bake for an additional 15-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean – a few small moist crumbs is fine.
Cool: Remove from oven and place muffin pan on a wire rack. Allow muffins to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and transfer them onto the wire rack to cool completely.
Serve: Serve the muffins warm or at room temperature plain or dusted with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Cranberries: You can either use fresh or frozen cranberries in these muffins. If using frozen, just be sure to rinse them with cold water first and then let them sit on the counter while you grab the rest of the ingredients. There is no need to defrost them first.
Milk: I recommend using buttermilk for these muffins for the moistest texture; however, whole milk works as well. Or, you can substitute almond milk or 2% milk. I do NOT recommend skim milk!
Yogurt: Full-fat Greek yogurt will produce the best flavor; however, you can use full-fat sour cream for a tangier taste.
Chocolate: You can use white chocolate (pictured in post) or semi-sweet chocolate for these muffins. I like to use chocolate chips in the muffin batter and then add chopped chocolate to the top of the muffin batter before baking - just make sure you gently press the chocolate into the batter and then proceed with sprinkling on the decorative sugar.
Decorative Sugar: I used decorative sugar for topping the muffins before baking, which is completely optional, but highly recommended! Decorative sugar is simply coarser, and has a larger crystal than granulated sugar. You should be able to find decorative (or sparkling) sugar in the baking aisle of most major grocery stores.
Jumbo Muffins: Use a jumbo muffin pan. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce oven to 350°F and bake for 22-25 minutes. Recipe makes about 6 jumbo muffins.
Storage: While these muffins are best eaten the same day they are prepared, they can be stored at room temperature (in an airtight container) for up to 4 days. These muffins freeze well (and can be frozen for up to 2 months), so I recommend making a double batch and keeping some in the freezer!

Nutritional information is an estimate based upon 18 muffins Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.

Nutrition