These Orange Cranberry Muffins are moist, delicious, sweet, and everything that traditional orange cranberry baked goods are, except I made these suckers totally grain-free, dairy-free, and naturally sweetened with dates. It’s the glory of the traditional Christmas taste that we all love…just a tad bit healthier.
Chrismasifying our house
Guys, I’ve been busting at the seams for weeks for it to be the day after Thanksgiving. And not because of Black Friday (I was never much of a crowds or shopping kinda girl). But because it means it is socially appropriate for my Christmas-crazed side to shine.
My little family’s day-after-Thanksgiving tradition is to Christmasify our house and life as much as possible… All while staying put in our warm house and cozy jammies. We play the classic Christmas songs (All I want For Christmas Is You is my Christmas jam), put up our tree, and bake (oh, how we bake).
One of my absolute favorite flavors of the season is the glorious, tangy combo of orange and cranberries.
Orange and cranberries combo
It’s tangy. It’s sweet. And it’s fantastically Christmas! Bahhhhhhh I just love this flavor combination so much that I couldn’t possibly pass up creating my own little TNN recipe inspired by it.
And of course it had to be muffins. Because we all know how much I love anything and everything that comes out of a muffin tin….
More healthy muffins to enjoy
- One-Bowl Carrot Paleo Muffins
- Paleo Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Veggie-Loaded Chocolate Protein Muffins
- Healthy Morning Glory Muffins
- Mini Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins (with squash)
Enjoying these orange cranberry muffins?
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Orange Cranberry Muffins (grain free)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut flour + 2 tablespoons
- 1/4 cup almond meal + 2 tablespoons
- 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 large eggs
- 6 medjool dates, pitted
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 cup fresh squeeze orange juice
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees and line a muffin tin with paper lines or silicone liners (I find that silicone liners almost always work better with coconut flour muffin recipes, as it doesn’t stick as much to the silicone).
- Sift all the dry ingredients into a medium bowl. Set the bowl aside when done. Sometimes almond meal has big chunks of nut that wont make it through the sifter. That’s okay, just pitch those bigger pieces. We want a really fine grain flour to make these muffins soft and fluffy.
- In a blender, combine eggs, pitted dates, coconut oil, vanilla extract, orange zest, and orange juice. Blend until the mixture is smooth and the dates are well chopped.Â
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth and lump-free.
- Gently fold in fresh cranberries to the batter.
- Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, portion the batter into the lined muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins start to turn a golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow muffins to cool completely before enjoying.
Notes
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
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I’m allergic to almonds and most all tree nuts. But not coconut. Is there a substitute for almond meal?
Taesha, a great substitute for almond meal is sunflower seed meal. I use it as a substitute in recipes calling for almond meal/flour for my tree-nut allergic kiddos. In case you would like to give it a try before recommending, here is the one I buy (bonus: it is made in a peanut & tree nut free facility): http://www.amazon.com/Sunflower-Seed-Meal-Gerbs-Allergen/dp/B00EQB5A9A
Good to know! Thank you for the feedback!
I made these and they came out with an unpleasantly damp texture. I’m pretty sure it was the coconut flour. Honestly I don’t recommend this recipe.
I’m sorry they were too moist! Often coconut flour recipes are very tricky when it comes to liquids, as the coconut flour needs to absorb the liquids before being baked and then the baked good must cool completely before being eaten (otherwise very mushy). However, these muffins were quite the opposite for me and the other people I know that have made it! I’ll have to remake the recipe a few more times and see if I can figure out what happened.
Taesha,
Thanks for sharing your tips and ideas, I will keep them in mind when I re-try the recipe. I have noticed the same things as you with recipes involving non-grain flours, especially coconut, but if it worked for you I’m sure something can be amended this time around. Cheers
I’ve made these 3 times and I’ve loved them very much!
Fantastic muffins to make ahead and then enjoy throughout the week!