Fresh Cranberry Muffins with Easy Streusel
Add a burst of fresh cranberries to your baking and get that sweet and tangy balance in every bite of these Cranberry Walnut muffins. Fresh, tart cranberries meet a sweet crumb top and a little walnut crunch for a bake that feels right at home on a holiday brunch table.
Hey, muffin fans! Here’s a game-changer for you. Introducing Cranberry Walnut Muffins! A simple, easy-to-follow recipe that delivers a power-packed punch of cranberry goodness in every bite! The secret? Fresh cranberries – a native North American superfood that’s loaded with antioxidants yet only 25 calories per ½ cup. Yes, you read it right! Who’s excited to feast healthily?
Get ready for the perfect blend of tart and sweet—these Fresh Cranberry Muffins with Pecan Streusel from are bursting with juicy fresh cranberries (a true superfood!), topped with a buttery, crunchy walnut streusel that takes them over the top. Easy to whip up and packed with holiday vibes, they’re ideal for Christmas breakfast, cozy winter mornings with coffee, or anytime you need a wholesome treat!
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Discover the joy of baking with our Fresh Cranberry Walnut Muffins recipe. It’s a perfect blend of health and taste, featuring fresh cranberries, known for their antioxidant properties. They’re great for a festive treat, morning breakfast or a cozy winter evening.
Did you know that fresh cranberries are native to North American and the Native Americans used them for food, medicine, dyes for their clothing?
They are bursting with healthy antioxidants and have a high nutritional value, in fact, a ½ cup is only 25 calories. I know, we are mixing them up with sugar and all those other kinds of good stuff today. But it’s nice to know we added this superfood to our diet today. These Cranberry Muffins with walnuts are a great example.
Indulge in the scrumptious and nutritious delight of Fresh Cranberry Muffins. With a perfect blend of sweet and tangy flavors, and a crunchy walnut twist, these muffins are more than just a treat. They’re the little health-bombs you deserve in our busy lives. Not just delicious, but also full of health benefits, they’re suitable for your morning brunch or the Christmas breakfast, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Enjoy the goodness of cranberries in a muffin!
Fresh Cranberry Muffins Recipe:
Ingredients:
For the Streusel
- 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- 4 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
- ¾ cups walnuts
For the Muffins:
- 1 ⅓ cups of Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ walnuts
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 6 Tablespoons melted butter
- ½ cup milk
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
- 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
- Pinch salt
Equipment Needed:
- Muffin Tins
- Muffin paper liners
- Food Processor
- Cooling Rack
🥣 Recipe Tips
- Chop the cranberries coarsely — Toss them with the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt, then pulse briefly in the food processor just until roughly chopped (not pureed). This prevents them from bursting too much and keeps nice tart bursts in every bite while distributing them evenly.
- Press the streusel topping in gently — After sprinkling the buttery pecan streusel generously over the filled muffin cups, lightly press it into the batter. This helps it adhere during baking so you don’t lose any of that crunchy goodness as the muffins rise.
- Don’t skip the high-heat start — Bake at 425°F for the best rise and domed tops. Fill the cups all the way to the rim for tall, bakery-style muffins, and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack—this prevents them from falling apart while keeping the texture tender.
How to make Fresh Cranberry Muffins with Pecan Streusel
(Makes 12 large bakery-style muffins)
Streusel Topping
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- In a food processor, pulse flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and softened butter (the first four topping ingredients) about 5 times until it looks like coarse sand.
- Add the pecans and pulse 2–3 times just to roughly chop them. Transfer streusel to a small bowl and set aside.
Muffin Batter
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray generously with nonstick baking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In the food processor, combine the second batch of pecans and both sugars. Process until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk in eggs, melted butter, and milk until smooth. Gradually add the flour mixture and stir just until combined (do not overmix).
- In the food processor (no need to wash), add fresh cranberries, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt. Pulse briefly until coarsely chopped. Gently fold the chopped cranberries into the batter.
- Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each all the way to the top for tall, domed muffins.
- Generously sprinkle streusel over each muffin, lightly pressing it into the batter so it sticks.
- Bake at 425°F for 20–25 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (or enjoy warm!).
These muffins are best the day they’re made, but they freeze beautifully too!
There you have it—these Fresh Cranberry Muffins with that irresistible buttery pecan streusel are the ultimate way to celebrate cranberry season! Tart, tender, and topped with the perfect crunchy crown, they disappear fast whether you’re serving them for holiday brunch, tucking them into lunchboxes, or enjoying one warm with your afternoon coffee. And we know they will make a great addition to your pastry/coffee bar during the holidays.
Other Christmas Baking Recipes:
🥣 Recipe
Ingredients
For the Topping
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 4 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter softened
- ¾ cup walnuts
For the Muffins
- 1 ⅓ cup flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cups walnuts
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 6 Tablespoons melted butter
- ½ cup milk
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
- 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
- pinch salt
Instructions
For the Streusel Topping
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- In a food processor, pulse flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and softened butter (the first four topping ingredients) about 5 times until it looks like coarse sand.
- Add the pecans and pulse 2–3 times just to roughly chop them. Transfer streusel to a small bowl and set aside.
Muffin Batter
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray generously with nonstick baking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In the food processor, combine the second batch of pecans and both sugars. Process until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk in eggs, melted butter, and milk until smooth. Gradually add the flour mixture and stir just until combined (do not overmix).
- In the food processor (no need to wash), add fresh cranberries, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt. Pulse briefly until coarsely chopped. Gently fold the chopped cranberries into the batter.
- Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each all the way to the top for tall, domed muffins.
- Sprinkle the topping generously on each muffin, pressing in, if necessary to keep the topping from falling off
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes
- Generously sprinkle streusel over each muffin, lightly pressing it into the batter so it sticks.
- Bake at 425°F for 20–25 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (or enjoy warm!).
Notes
Nutrition
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Muffins are magnificent and these look especially great. Thanks for linking up with us at Share Your Stuff Tuesdays.
How delicious does this look! Yum! 🙂
Thanks for joining the Link Up this week!
Love cranberries and your muffins look so pretty……….andi
Oh wow, these look awesome. I love cranberry muffins. Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.
I was just thinking about getting some cranberries to bake with- you read my mind! Yum!
YUM! Pinning for later!! 🙂
I have some leftover cranberries in my fridge that are dying to be made into these muffins! Thanks for sharing on the weekend re-Treat link party!
Britni @ Play. Party Pin.
Love that pecan streusel! Thanks for linking up with What's Cookin' Wednesday!
Great Muffins Evelyn, meant to be enjoyed with my afternoon tea! Hope you have a great week and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
These look amzing! I can't wait to give this try!!!!!! Thanks for coming over to Create it or Bake it. Hope to see you again tomorrow morning!
Can I have one right now??? Thanks so much for stopping by Munching Mondays with this deliciousness!
These look delicious. Thanks so much for sharing with Adorned From Above’s Link Party. Have a great week.
Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above
http://www.adornedfromabove.com
Whoo these look so yummy 🙂
Not only is pecany a word, it is a great word. I'm totally digging the topping on these muffins! Thank you for sharing!
I love Cranberries and pecans! These sound so good!!! =)
Happy New Year!
This might need to go with out Thanksgiving breakfast! 🙂
These look fabulous! Baking sounds like a good idea this weekend!!
I love anything with cranberries ! Your streusel topping looks especially good !
These were a delicious Christmas morning breakfast! I made jumbo muffins, lowered the heat to 400 degrees and raised the baking time to 30-35 minutes. They were just wonderful!
Awe that makes my heart happy, so glad you enjoyed them. And thanks for the tips about the changes with making jumbo muffins. Merry Christmas