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Delish Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Delish Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Moist, orange-kissed muffins studded with tart cranberries and swirled with a luscious vanilla cream cheese center—perfect for breakfast, brunch, or holiday gifting.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 120kcal

Ingredients
 

Main Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar for batter
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest from 1 orange
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 0.75 cup buttermilk room temperature
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract for batter
  • 1.5 cups fresh cranberries coarsely chopped is best
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar for filling
  • 1 large egg yolk for filling
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for filling
  • 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar for topping

Instructions

Preparation Steps

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and lightly mist with baking spray.
  • Make the filling: In a bowl, beat cream cheese, 0.25 cup sugar, egg yolk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until completely smooth; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry and gently stir until just combined with a few streaks of flour remaining.
  • Fold in cranberries until evenly distributed. Do not overmix.
  • Fill each muffin cup about 0.5 full with batter. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling into the center of each, then top with more batter to reach about 0.75 full. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top.
  • Bake 18 to 22 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted off-center (avoiding the filling) comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

For frozen cranberries, use them straight from the freezer and chop quickly if large—no need to thaw. No buttermilk? Use 0.75 cup milk with 2 teaspoons lemon juice; let stand 5 minutes. Store muffins covered at room temperature up to 2 days, or refrigerate up to 4 days. Freeze up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature and warm briefly before serving.