White Chocolate and Cranberry Muffins! These bakery-style beauties are bursting with juicy cranberries, smooth white chocolate, and the vibrant zing of lemon and orange zest! Packed with flavor, each bite is an awesome balance of sweet, tangy, and citrusy goodness.

The zesty citrus really elevates the white chocolate, while the tart cranberries add a perfect pop of flavor. And let’s not forget the stunning domed tops – golden, crisp, and irresistibly crunchy. Who doesn’t love the perfect muffin top? These muffins are a total treat!

Cranberry white chocolate muffins on a rack showing the texture inside.

This cranberry muffin recipe is a breeze to make – no mixer required, and everything comes together in just one bowl! The secret to their amazing flavor lies in rubbing the lemon and orange zest into the sugar before adding anything else. This simple step releases all those citrus oils, infusing the sugar with incredible fragrance and flavor that takes these muffins to the next level. Quick, easy, and delicious like my orange chocolate chip muffins and banana chocolate chunk muffins!

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Why you'll love this recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Substitutions
Instructions
Pro tips
FAQ
Storage
Related
📖 Recipe

Why you'll love this recipe

Festive & Incredible Flavors: The combination of tart cranberries, rich white chocolate, and bright citrus zest creates a flavor profile that’s perfect for the holidays.
Super Easy to Make: No mixer required for this cranberry muffins recipe, and it all comes together in just one bowl—effortless and fuss-free! If you have a kitchen scale it's even less stress!
Bakery-Style Domed Tops: Gorgeous, golden, and perfectly crunchy muffin tops that are as delicious as they are impressive. Just like these lemon curd muffins.
Perfect for Holiday Occasions: These white chocolate and cranberry muffins make an ideal addition to a Christmas morning breakfast or a festive holiday brunch. They’re sure to impress guests and family alike!

Equipment

Using a kitchen scale for this muffins with cranberries recipe is a game-changer! It takes the guesswork out of measuring, ensuring that your flour, chocolate, and all the ingredients are perfectly balanced every time. No need to worry about flour settling in your measuring cups or uneven portions of chocolate – just weigh everything directly into the bowl.

Ingredients

What you'll need to make white chocolate and cranberry muffins!

White Chocolate: Use high-quality white chocolate chips or chop up a good-quality chocolate bar. Avoid low-quality white chocolate, as it can be greasy and lack flavor. The better the chocolate, the better the muffins! chocolate cranberry cake is also amazing!
Cranberries: Fresh or frozen cranberries are best for this recipe—juicy cranberries make these muffins shine! I love using Cape Cod Select cranberries, which I always keep in my freezer. Dried cranberries won’t give you that satisfying burst of tartness. Check out my cranberry brownies!
Orange & Lemon Zest: Zest is essential for bringing a vibrant, citrusy kick to the muffins. If you don’t have a lemon, feel free to use two oranges for a different twist!
Melted Butter: Adds richness, moisture, and a buttery flavor that makes the muffins tender and soft.
Kosher Salt: A crucial ingredient that enhances all the flavors and balances the sweetness. Don’t skip it!

See recipe card below for quantities.

White choc and cranberry muffins showing how big the muffin top is.

Substitutions

Variations for white chocolate cranberry muffins!

Dark or Semi-Sweet Chocolate: Swap the white chocolate for dark or semi-sweet chocolate for a more intense, rich flavor.
Almond Extract: Replace the citrus zest with almond extract for a cozy, nutty twist that pairs beautifully with the cranberries and chocolate. White chocolate and blueberry muffins have almond!
Cream Cheese Glaze: Top your muffins with a creamy, tangy glaze made from cream cheese, powdered sugar, and a splash of vanilla for an indulgent finishing touch.

This white chocolate and cranberry muffins recipe has not been tested with other substitutions. These are just suggestions.

Instructions

Let's make white choc and cranberry muffins!

Flour, baking powder, and salt mixed together in a bowl for the cranberry muffin recipe.

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 430F°. Line a muffin pan with 8 muffin liners. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside.

Granulated sugar mixed with the orange and lemon zest to release the citrus oils.

Step 2. Using a microplane, zest the orange and lemon. Whisk the orange zest and lemon zest into the sugar until it resembles wet sand, you want to release the oils. You can also use your fingers to rub the sugar and zest together.

The wet ingredients being added to the citrus sugar in a white bowl.

Step 3. Add the melted butter, milk, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until combined.

Muffin batter in a white bowl after the flour has been added.

Step 4. Add in the dry ingredients, whisk or stir until combined, do not over mix.

Fresh cranberries and white chocolate mixed in the muffin batter in a bowl.

Step 5. Add the white chocolate and cranberries, fold until combined, the batter will be thick.

Muffin liners filled with the batter and sugar on top before baking.

Step 6. Divide the batter between the 8 muffin cups, it will look like too much batter for one cup, it’s not. Top with a little more sugar (I like turbinado raw sugar) to just coat the top. Place in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature down to 400°F. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 22-24 minutes.

Hint: It will look like too much batter for each muffin liner, but it's not! They will rise up and won't spill over.

Pro tips

Start with a High Oven Temperature: Begin baking at 430°F, then immediately reduce the temperature to 400°F. This initial high heat helps create those gorgeous domed tops!
Rub the Sugar & Citrus Zest Together: Gently rub the lemon and orange zest into the sugar before adding anything else. This releases the oils from the zest and infuses the sugar with incredible citrus flavor. I do the same in lemon curd cheesecake!
Don’t Over mix the Batter: Stir just until the ingredients are combined. Over mixing can lead to dense muffins, so keep it gentle for a light, fluffy texture.
Cool the Melted Butter: Allow the melted butter to cool slightly before adding it to the batter. Hot butter can cause the eggs to cook prematurely, affecting the texture of your muffins.

FAQ

Can I substitute dried cranberries for fresh?

I don't recommend it! Dried cranberries are sweeter and arent juicy. These muffins are so great because of the tang and juicy pockets from fresh cranberries.

Why do I have to use two oven temperatures?

Starting at a high temperature creates a large initial rise and then turning it down ensures the muffins bake without getting burned.

Can I make more than 8 cranberry white chocolate muffins?

The key to those gorgeous muffin tops is the amount of batter, the batter needs to be up and over the top of the liner to create those huge tops.

Cranberry white chocolate chip muffin on a white plate with a bite taken out.

Storage

Room Temperature

Store these muffins at room temperature for up to one day, but be sure to enjoy them quickly! They tend to dry out fast, so they’re best when eaten fresh.

Refrigerator

Do not refrigerate—the cold can make them stale and lose their soft texture.

Freezer

If you have leftovers, freezing is your best bet. Simply wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or store in a freezer bag, and they’ll stay fresh for up to one month. Freezing locks in the moisture, keeping them soft and delicious when you're ready to enjoy them again! Just thaw at room temperature or pop them in the microwave for a few seconds for a fresh-out-of-the-oven taste.

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