Orange-Scented Cranberry and Carrot Muffins

These cranberry and carrot muffins smell like sweet oranges and are filled with pops of tart fresh cranberry . . .

The Cranberry and Carrot Muffin Origin Story

My children were scrolling through recipes on my phone, as they do from time to time, and came across a cranberry crumb muffin recipe. They were really, really excited about it. They’ve never had cranberries before (as far as I can remember), and I was very doubtful that they would like this. Did they know that cranberries are, like, really sour? Plus, it was all flour and butter and sugar and cranberries. No way was I making this. Not healthy and likely to be rejected? Two solid reasons not to proceed. But they kept asking.

So I thought maybe I could make something similar but healthy that they would like. Cranberries and orange go very well together, so I thought that since they really like oranges, maybe I could make a muffin with some good orange flavor. And I could put some cranberries in there, and hopefully they would go for it.

If not, at least it’s easy to pick out cranberries.

So I started fiddling with my raspberry blackberry oat muffin recipe (one of their favorite muffin recipes) to make it work for a fall-themed orange-cranberry muffin. I’d add some grated carrot to make it healthier, and orangier, and maybe even throw in some orange segments. Plus lots of orange zest.

What to do with lots of tiny oranges that aren’t so good anymore?

When I say orange, I should clarify that I’m referring to satsumas / mandarins. We get a lot of those tiny little oranges in a big bag at the grocery store. They are fantastic for the first two or three days. Then they rapidly decline in juiciness and tastiness. So I often have them lying around, with no one finishing the bag and me reluctant to throw it out.

These cranberry and carrot muffins are a great way to use up extra satsumas or mandarins. I zested 5 of them and used the segments from 2 of them.

The Taste Testers Weigh In

So I made the muffins.

I had two surprises in store. First, my son LOVES cranberries. He is really into sour things right now, so I suppose that makes sense. He would just sit with his muffin happily munching little pieces murmuring, “cranberry, more cranberry.” I suppose this love for the super-sour makes sense. I had a major thing for Warheads as a young kid.

Second, I was actually a huge fan of these muffins, despite not particularly liking oranges or cranberries. I made them with oats and shredded carrots, which gives them a very hearty texture. I will warn that the fresh cranberries are sour. Not blindingly sour, but they definitely are not sweet. So if you’re not a fan of the tartness, I suggest replacing them with either dried cranberries (you can soak them in hot water so they are a little juicer once cooked) or raspberries. I made half of them with raspberries for my daughter, who is not a huge sour fan at the moment, and she loved them this way.

The Perfect Thanksgiving Muffin

I also realized this is sort of the perfect muffin for Thanksgiving, between the cranberry, the orange, and the root vegetables. Especially if you’re the sort of person who buys fresh cranberries and then gets home and thinks, wait, what can I do with fresh cranberries?

(I’m the sort of person who buys cranberries first, and asks what I can do with fresh cranberries later.)

So always always looking for recipes that call for fresh cranberries around Thanksgiving time. They feel so festive, but the flavor is hard to get right unless you want to add loads of sugar. This orange cranberry muffin recipe gets the flavor right, in my opinion.

Calorie Situation

These come in at about 207 calories each (according to Noom). Not too bad for a muffin – and they do have lots of fiber! (As you may or may not be aware, fiber-rich food is a frequent theme on this site due to my having small children.)

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