GLUTEN FREE CRANBERRY ORANGE MUFFINS

Hearty gluten free muffins with cranberry sauce flavors, brown sugar, and orange zest throughout.

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Each year for the holidays, my dad makes copious amounts of cranberry sauce, both repeating our favorite recipes and trying new flavor variations. These gluten free cranberry orange muffins happened due to the inordinate quantity of leftover sauce because it takes the place of liquid in the wet ingredients. This gives the entire muffin cranberry sauce flavor instead of merely tossing in some dried cranberries. Cranberry-orange is a classic, but this technique adds some flare! 🙂 Plus, it’s a classic for a reason! The two citrus fruits complement each other so perfectly. These muffins are tangy, slightly tart, yet irresistibly sweet, thanks to the orange juice and minimal amount of brown sugar. 

Cranberries are in season, making them a great breakfast or snack option this time of year. The ingredients are wholesome and nutrient dense, which is an added bonus, especially if you know a sugar cookie induced crash is just around the corner. 🙂 Fresh cranberries are usually easily accessible throughout the month of December, but frozen cranberries work, too, if you can’t find fresh.

The flour combination produces a more dense, hearty crumb, but it’s still quite moist. It’s best to keep them refrigerated because of this. Or, if you’re like me, and want to have muffins at your command over the space of a couple months, they freeze and reheat wonderfully.

Let’s talk about the ingredients:

Oat Flour - A versatile and absorbent flour. You can buy it or grind your own from rolled or quick oats in a food processor or blender. This would be the cheaper option.

Buckwheat Flour - A nutty and hearty flour.

Millet Flour - A sturdier and versatile flour.

Almond Flour - High in protein and keeps baked goods moist.

Tapioca Starch - Starch helps to soften and bind a gluten free crumb.

Baking Powder & Baking Soda - To leaven.

Salt - Obviously.

Brown Sugar - The sweetness offsets the bitterness of the cranberries.

Cranberry Sauce - The type will affect the outcome of your muffins. If you prefer a sweet muffin, use a sweet variation. I prefer less sweet and more tart, so I used a tart cranberry sauce with wine. Somewhat liquid-y is needed, rather than the canned jelly-like consistency. I have a recipe below, too, if you don’t have a favorite.

Orange Juice - The sweet part of the orange also helps moisten the batter.

Orange Zest - This adds extra orange flavor but the more bitter, zesty type! Try to mostly grate the zest rather than the more bitter pith (white part) beneath.

Flax “Eggs” - Ground flax seeds plus water create a gel that acts as a binder.

Apple Butter (or Cinnamon Applesauce) - I love the additional spices of apple butter, but if you don’t have any on hand or don’t feel like buying or making it, you can use cinnamon applesauce.

Vanilla & Almond Extracts - For flavor. I have a thing for almond flavoring, but if you don’t, feel free to only use vanilla.

Vinegar - White or apple cider. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help create the rise.

Want to try the original muffin that inspired this cranberry-orange version? It was one of the first recipes on my blog! Gluten Free Vegan Blueberry-Rhubarb Muffins!

GLUTEN FREE CRANBERRY ORANGE MUFFINS (GF, V, DF, SD, VG)

Yield: 10-12 muffins

What You'll Need:

• 1½ cups oat flour

• ½ cup millet flour

• ½ cup buckwheat flour

• ½ cup almond flour

• 1 tablespoon tapioca starch

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon fine salt

• 1 ½ cups liquid-y cranberry sauce of preference (or recipe below)

• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed, soaked in 4 tablespoons of water for 10 minutes

• ⅓ cup apple butter, or cinnamon applesauce

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract + ¾ teaspoons almond extract

• 2 teaspoons orange zest, approximately zest from one orange

• ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, approximately juice from one orange

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar, plus more if sweeter muffin is desired

• 1 teaspoon vinegar

  
  

  FOR CRANBERRY SAUCE:

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries, or sub frozen

• 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup, additional according to preferred sweetness 

• ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

  
  

  Bring to a boil over medium high, then simmer for about an hour, or until cranberries are broken down and the sauce is a jelly-like consistency. 

  
  

How To Make it

1.  Preheat the oven to 375. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, starch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cranberry sauce, flax “eggs”, apple butter, vanilla and almond extracts, orange zest, orange juice, and brown sugar.

3.  Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined. Feel free to taste batter to determine whether or not another tablespoon or two of brown sugar is desired.

4. Right before scooping the batter into muffin liners, stir the vinegar into the batter. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help create the rise in vegan baking. Spoon the batter evenly into muffin liners or a silicone muffin pan. Each cup should be close to full. I used ⅓ cup for each muffin, and the yield was 11. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown, and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5-10 minutes, then remove from the muffin pan. Allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack. Store leftovers in the fridge, or freeze them.

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Abby