I hope ya’ll enjoyed Thanksgiving. It seems so long ago, life has been super crazy since we returned home Sunday afternoon. There was the usual unpacking, laundry and getting everyone organized. Then I made an Advent calendar, well boxes for each day, for the boys. Talk about a rush job, it was already the first day of Advent! We got a Christmas tree and put it up. Our dog was sick. I took her to the vet Monday and found out she has Addison’s Disease. After a couple days in the hospital I bailed her out which cost me a fortune. All that and then our usual madness this week has been crazy.
I have still been baking and cooking, just not blogging. Many times I haven’t even taken pictures, like I said, crazy schedule this week. Anyhow, Tuesday Sean had a play date at our house. I intended to make these muffins then, only to realize I didn’t have much sugar. I really had my heart set on them so I made them another day after I got to the store.
There is just something wonderful about cranberries and oranges together. This has always been one of my favorite muffins. I make these with fresh cranberries. Since cranberries are seasonal I buy a bunch in December and freeze them so I have some year round. Fresh cranberries are pretty tart so I soaked them in the sugar for a little while first. They are still tart in the muffins, just not super tart. You could always use dried cranberries, you just may want to reduce the amount of sugar.
After the indulgences of Thanksgiving I also decided to make this recipe a little healthier. I used white whole wheat flour and non fat Greek yogurt instead of oil or butter. The flavor was still wonderful. The orange zest really gives it a great zing in addition to the tart cranberries. Jack is the only one that didn’t like them, I think it was too tart for him. Hopefully you will like them as much as the rest of us did!
Whole Wheat Orange Cranberry Muffins
1 1/2 c. whole fresh cranberries
3/4 c. sugar
2 c. white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. non fat Greek yogurt
Zest of one orange
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease or line a muffin pan. Roughly chop the cranberries and place in a medium bowl. Add the sugar, stir and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the egg, orange juice, yogurt and zest to the cranberries and mix well. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix just until combined. Pour in muffin pan and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Yields 12 muffins
Feeding My 3 Sons 
Hi, Gretchen,
I hope that your did recovers from Addison disease – how scary and sad. 😦 It sounds like you had a very busy week! You even got your Christmas tree up… you are a superwoman. If you serve these muffins at Sean’s playdates, the guests and kids are VERY lucky indeed. They look amazing and I LOVE the recipe. We will try them as soon as we get our hands on some fresh cranberries. Great flavor combination and so healthy. Thank you for sharing! I love your baking style.
Warmly,
Shanna
yum! These muffins look so good. Need to get on the muffin train. Between you and Shanna, I’m covered for recipes 🙂
Muffins are so easy to make and quite popular with the kiddos. Plus they are pretty easy to make healthier without changing the taste or texture much. Thanks for stopping by.
You have had a time of it, haven’t you? Sorry to read about your pupster. I hope they’ve a treatment that she responds to. These muffins do sound good and you’re right about the mix of orange and cranberry. I give you credit for taking a recipe and making it more healthy. I have al lI can do to follow a baking recipe and wouldn’t dream of changing it. 🙂
Doggie is back to normal! It is quite amazing. She looked like she wasn’t going to make it at all. Now with a diagnosis and medication she is back to herself! It cost me a fortune, but she is family.
I hope the dog is feeling better and the “hole in your pocket is not too big”. Next time I shall remember to freeze some seasonal fruits so I can whip them out and surprise people at odd moments. I have never tried a muffin recipe without fat or oil. Thanks for sharing this one. I have to try just to see what it tastes like. The end product does look good and tasty. Maybe i can sub the cranberries with some….dates? apricots? blueberries. I shall make up my mind. Have a wonderful week. Best wishes!
Those all sound yummy, especially the apricots. Muffins without fat are still quite tasty. You will notice a difference in flavor and texture, but it is relatively subtle. Other ways of avoiding the oil or butter are mashed bananas, applesauce, pumpkin, etc.