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To wrap up the Cranberry Orange Spirit Week here on my blog, here’s a cranberry orange muffin recipe! (You can check out the previously posted Cran Orange Smoothie, Cranberry Chocolate Clusters, and Cranberry Orange Overnight Oatmeal by clicking these links.) These yummy muffins have a pleasing orange flavor and are dotted with tart bursts of fresh cranberry. I love these muffins warm or cold, and they’re great cut in half and toasted the next morning for breakfast!
I’ve found that muffins (or really any recipe) made using only oat flour can tend to be gummy, so I combined it with oat fiber in this recipe. If you don’t have oat fiber, you should totally get some; I use it in my Baking Mix all the time. You could try substituting more oat flour for the oat fiber if you like. If you do that, let me know how it turns out!
Trim Healthy Mamas, these muffins are an E carb source. I recommend pairing them with some lean protein (such as low fat cottage cheese or Greek yogurt or this Cran Orange Smoothie) for breakfast or a snack. You could also use them as a dessert after an E meal!
Need more E dessert ideas? Click here for a list of mine!
You can find this recipe in my cookbook, Necessary Food.
- ¾ cup oat flour (oats ground up finely in a blender or coffee grinder; use gluten free if necessary)
- ¾ cup oat fiber (gluten free if necessary)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. orange zest (fresh or dried), optional
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder (or more, to taste; this doesn't make an overly sweet muffin)
- ¼ tsp. each ginger and cloves
- 1 orange, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup + 2 T egg whites
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup water
- 1½ tsp. orange extract
- ¾ cup cranberries (thawed if frozen)
- Whiz the dry ingredients (first 7 ingredients) in a food processor until mixed (I use our Ninja blender food processor attachment). Add the wet ingredients (not the cranberries) and process until smooth. Add the cranberries and process until the cranberries are in chunks.
- Grease 9 muffin tin holes and divide the batter evenly among them. Do not add water to the empty muffin holes. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. For best results, let the muffins sit a few minutes before cutting and eating. Store leftovers in the fridge (they're great cold!). I like to cut leftover muffins in half and toast them for breakfast the next morning.
- Trim Healthy Mamas, feel free to enjoy 2-3 of these muffins with a teaspoon of butter and some protein for breakfast or a snack (or eat them with an E meal as dessert).
Suggested products:
- Oat Fiber
- Watkin’s Orange Extract
- THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder and gluten free oat fiber can be purchased from the Trim Healthy Mama online store.
How well will these freezes?
Muffins generally freeze well!
Question 3/4 cup Oat Flour – is that after processing or do you start with 3/4 cup whole oats?
Thank you!
Since you’re measuring oat FLOUR, that means you measure once it’s in flour form, after grinding. 🙂
Can psyllium husks be subbed for the oat fiber? 1 to 1
Thx
I know some people do that but I’ve never personally tried it. I think psyllium husks can sometimes be more slimy/rubbery than oat fiber and I don’t know if they’d be a good fit for this recipe or not. I’m sorry!
I can’t wait to try this! If I wanted to make a loaf instead of muffins, would I need to change anything? (Sorry if it’s a stupid question, i’m so not a baker lol)
Hi Amanda! I personally probably wouldn’t try making it into a loaf because I’m afraid it would be soggy in the middle. Oat flour has a habit of doing that and I’m just not sure that the texture would be that great if you’re making it in a bigger pan where it can’t dry out as well. You’re welcome to try, though!
If i left the whole orange out (just because i don’t have one at the moment) and used essential oil for the orange flavor, i would probably need more líquid in another form, right? Just Water? Greek yogurt?
Yes, you’d probably need to replace it with something. I’d try the Greek yogurt.
Do you think this would work as a basic THM-E muffin recipe? I’m thinking strawberries for the orange and blueberries for the cranberry (because my fridge is overflowing with both right now).
I haven’t tested it with other fruit and you might have to adjust the baking time depending on how watery the fruit is that you use, but you’re more than welcome to mess around with substitutions!
It worked! I used a heaping cup of chopped strawberries and 3/4 cup blueberries. I added lemon and lime zest in place of the orange, and a teaspoon of lemon juice in place of the orange extract. Next time I’ll add just 3/4 t lemon juice. They are very moist and fall apart just out of the oven, but after sitting in the fridge overnight, they are wonderful!
Awesome! Thanks for trying it and letting me know!
How would thm baking blend do in this recipe?
I’ve never tried it, but I’m sure it would probably do well! I’d start by substituting it for both flours in a 1:1 ratio and make tweaks from there if necessary.
“Cranberry Orange Spirit Week”… I love it! So cute (and yummy)!
Has anyone tried using wild orange essential oil in place of the other orange flavors in this recipe? If so how much would you add?
Thanks