Cranberry Orange Sourdough Muffins

Tart cranberries and sweet orange juice give these cranberry orange sourdough muffins a delicious tang! Use fresh or frozen cranberries to enjoy these muffins all year round!

Be sure to check out my cranberry orange sourdough bread too!

Cranberries and orange, the perfect Winter flavor combination! And these muffins utilize fresh cranberries, which add even more tartness and flavor to the muffins!

As the holidays creep up, cranberries and oranges are more prevalent in the stores. The cranberries add a tartness to the muffins and the orange juice adds sweetness! It's the perfect combination!

I love baking with my sourdough starter. Not only can you make delicious bread, but you can make all sorts of baked goods! Be sure to check out these recipes for sourdough discard recipes that are sure to be crowd pleasers!

• Apple Streusel Sourdough Muffins
• Banana Sourdough Muffins
• Pumpkin Sourdough Muffins
• Baked Sourdough Donuts
• Sourdough Apple Cider Donuts
• Sourdough Discard Pizza Dough

What is Sourdough Discard?

Sourdough discard is the extra sourdough starter that you are not feeding. If you are new to sourdough, make sure you check out how to keep a sourdough starter article all about how to feed your sourdough starter properly.

When you feed your starter equal parts flour, water, and leftover discard, there's a portion that you do not feed. That's because if you were to feed your entire starter every time, you would have way more starter than you need.

Keep the extra sourdough discard in a mason jar and add it to baked goods. It adds texture and moisture to things like chocolate chip muffins, sourdough scones, and apple cider donuts.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Sourdough discard- To add texture and to activate the baking soda. You can make your own homemade sourdough starter, buy one, or get one from a friend.
• Coconut Oil- A neutral oil or butter can be used instead if you don't have coconut oil on hand.
• Orange Juice- ½ cup of orange juice and the zest of 1 orange.
• Sugar- Brown and granulated sugar add a delicious flavor, but you could use all granulated sugar if that is what you had on hand.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda- To make the muffins rise

See printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations and Substitutions

• Change the flour! Use a combination of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour for more of a nutty flavor.
• Add some nuts! Add chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, chopped cashews, or a combination of nuts to the batter.
• Add some spices! Feel free to add some ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or your favorite spice blend to these fluffy muffins.
• Make it a loaf! Pour the batter into a large loaf pan that is greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.

Let's Make Cranberry Orange Sourdough Muffins!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners and set that aside.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set that aside. Combine the sugars and coconut oil until well mixed.

Add the orange juice, orange zest, eggs, vanilla, and sourdough starter to the bowl with the sugar and coconut oils. Mix until all the ingredients are full combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. You don't want to overmix at this point as it will make the muffins tough. Fold in the cranberries.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin liners. The ice cream scoop will get you the most even muffins. Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick is inserted and the toothpick comes out clean.

Tips and Tricks

• These muffins are perfect on their own or with a slather of butter. If you want, you can also mix together ½ cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of orange juice. Mix it together and drizzle it over the muffins for a light glaze on the muffins.
• Active or inactive sourdough starter can be used in these muffins. Since we are not long fermenting these muffins, either will work in this recipe.
• Whenever you feed your sourdough starter, keep the extra discard in a jar in the refrigerator to use in recipes that require sourdough discard.

Storage Tips

Store leftover muffins in an airtight container or in a gallon sized Ziploc bag on the counter. Do not refrigerate them as they will go stale quickly.

These muffins freeze beautifully! Once they are completely cooled, freeze them in a Ziploc bag and take them out when you are ready to eat them!

Other Recipes You'll Love

Did you give these Cranberry Orange Sourdough Muffins a try? I’d love to hear from you! Give me a shout on Instagram or Facebook  and share this recipe on Pinterest!

• Peanut Butter and Banana Oat Bars
• Death by Chocolate Zucchini Bread
• Light and Crisp Sourdough Waffles

📖 Recipe