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Is it okay if I take a good thing and make it better? That’s what I’m doing with these Cranberry Orange Muffins! Dark chocolate chips are the perfect addition to this small batch muffin recipe. They’re so good, you’ll want to double the recipe!

Stack of cranberry orange muffins with chocolate chips.

I’m pretty sure I just created my new favorite muffin: tart cranberries and dark chocolate with orange zest. I’m in love. If cranberry-orange is delicious, then cranberry orange with chocolate is even more so!

I adapted this recipe from my small-batch blueberry muffins recipe, but I decided to use the entire egg instead of just the egg white. I like the color that you get from using the entire egg.

Please note: This recipe has been doubled to make 8 muffins, but it’s easy to cut it in half to make just 4 muffins if you’re seeking small batch muffins.

Ingredients

Bowl of melted butter, fresh cranberries, chocolate chips, and flour.

Butter. One stick (8 tablespoons/ 113 grams) of butter that has been melted is the base of this recipe.
Sugar. Two-thirds cup of granulated sugar for sweetness.
Eggs. Two large eggs gives us lots of rise and lift in these bakery style cranberry orange muffins.
Orange Zest. We’re only using the orange zest, not the juice for this recipe! You can squeeze the rest for breakfast, or save it for another recipe, like my Chocolate Orange Cake.
Flour. One and one-quarter cup of all-purpose flour.
Baking Powder. One teaspoon of baking powder.
Buttermilk. One-half cup of buttermilk. Whenever I bake with buttermilk, I always set it out on the counter to come to room temperature first. Because we’re baking with melted butter, the cold buttermilk can solidify the butter when added to the bowl, and we really don’t want that.
Cranberries. One cup of fresh cranberries; they can be frozen, too!
Chocolate Chips. It’s entirely optional, but one-half cup of dark chocolate chips is absolutely delicious here. I’m telling you: cranberry + chocolate + orange is the new flavor combo of the season!

How to Make Cranberry Orange Muffins

First, preheat the oven to 400-degrees F and place 8 liners in 8 cups in a muffin pan.

Melted butter and white sugar in a brown mixing bowl for making muffins.

Adding two whole eggs to bright yellow batter in a brown bowl.

2. Next, combine the melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Stir very well to combine.

3. Add the eggs and orange zest; stir again.

White flour and baking powder sprinkled over yellow muffin batter.

Fresh whole cranberries and chocolate chips being stirred into pale yellow batter.

4. Sprinkle the flour, baking powder, and pinch of salt evenly on top. Stir again, just to combine.

5. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and fresh cranberries. Divide into the muffin liners, and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Eight cranberry orange muffins in a gold muffin pan.

6. Test the muffins before removing from the oven with a toothpick–only moist crumbs should cling to it, and the tops should spring back when lightly pressed. Let these cool in the pan for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool before serving.

Cranberry orange muffin with chocolate chips on its side.

Storage

These cranberry orange muffins keep on the counter in an air-tight storage container for 1 day. After that, place in the fridge for 2-3 days. You may freeze these after baking in a single layer, and then place in a freezer storage bag for up to 6 months. Defrost in the microwave for 30-60 seconds before serving. You can also thaw on the counter overnight, and then zap in the microwave for 10 seconds before enjoying.