Some of my favorite flavors are cranberry and orange, and these delicious copycat muffins from Panera really celebrate this delightful pairing. Whip up a batch of these cranberry orange muffins, and the whole family will be enjoying their soft texture and delicious flavor.
If you love Panera's bakery items, you'll definitely want to try our copycat recipes for their pumpkin muffins and cinnamon crunch bagels.
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Ingredients
Fortunately, these cranberry orange muffins don't require any fancy or hard-to-find ingredients. Although fresh cranberries are a seasonal item that's only available in November and December here in the US, you can use frozen or dried cranberries.
- Cornstarch: A tablespoon of this ingredient lightens and softens the texture.
- Orange: A generous amount of orange zest and a little orange juice adds the delightful citrus flavor we love about this dessert.
- Cranberries: Using fresh or frozen cranberries here is ideal, but if you can't find them, use 1 cup of sweetened dried cranberries instead. If you're using frozen berries, there's no need to defrost them first; simply rinse and drain them well before adding to the batter.
- Decoration: These muffins are adorned with a sprinkling of turbinado sugar on top of each one. Demerara sugar would be great, too.
How to Make
Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together until blended.
Whisk the eggs, oil, sugar, milk, orange juice, and vanilla together until well combined.
Rinse and pick through the fresh or frozen cranberries, discarding any bad ones.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir with a spatula until combined. Be careful not to overmix!
Gently fold in the fresh or frozen cranberries and the orange zest.
Put ½ cup of batter into each jumbo muffin cup and sprinkle a pinch of turbinado sugar on top.
Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, then bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. The muffins are baked when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the muffins cool on a wire rack for a few minutes, then enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, Panera sells cranberry orange muffins year round. According to their website, each one costs $2.99, but prices may vary depending upon the location.
Each one of Panera's jumbo muffins contains 480 calories, 19g fat, 360mg sodium, 72g carbs, 2g fiber, 41g sugars, and 6g protein.
Our copycat recipe contains 387 calories, 14g fat, 425mg sodium, 61g carbs, 2g fiber, 31g sugars, and 5g protein. For the full nutrition facts, please scroll to the bottom of the recipe card.
Not really! Like many other baked goods, it's best to enjoy these treats in moderation.
Leftover muffins will keep at room temperature for 3-5 days, but they'll stay the freshest if they are frozen. Seal them inside of a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost in the microwave or at room temperature.
Expert Tips
- Measure the ingredients accurately; especially with the flour and rising agents. Using a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups helps a lot.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter, or the muffins will be tough.
- Rinse and drain the fresh or frozen cranberries well before adding them to the batter. There's no need to defrost frozen berries before using them.
- Can't find jumbo muffin liners? Use squares of parchment paper instead.
- Calibrate your oven with an oven thermometer to make sure it's baking at the correct temperature.
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Recipe
Panera Cranberry Orange Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a jumbo muffin pan with liners or squares of baking parchment.
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together until well blended.
- Whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, milk, orange juice, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to form a batter.
- Fold in the orange zest and the cranberries.
- Scoop ½ cup of batter into each jumbo muffin liner and sprinkle a pinch of turbinado sugar on top.
- Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, then bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Let them cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then let the muffins cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- Measure the ingredients accurately; especially with the flour and rising agents. Using a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups helps a lot.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter, or the muffins will be tough.
- Rinse and drain the fresh or frozen cranberries well before adding them to the batter. There's no need to defrost frozen berries before using them.
- Calibrate your oven with an oven thermometer to make sure it's baking at the correct temperature.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Sandra Gould
Should the cranberries be left whole/or sliced?
Emma
Sandra, This recipe uses whole cranberries. Thanks for asking. Let us know how it turns out!
Nancy Frydryck
Would there be any issues with making them in a cupcake pan?
Emma
No, it would work well making them in a cupcake pan! The baking time will be slightly shorter, so keep an eye on the muffins as they bake!
Bekki
Be careful if you adjust the recipe size. The website reset to 1x (instead of 2x) and I didn’t realize it until my batter was the consistency of cookie dough. Hopefully these will make good breakfast cookies with a nice drizzle on top.
Emma
We're sorry you experienced this, Bekki. We've never had an issue with our yield adjustment feature, and we've never had any other readers mention that either. I'd suggest printing the recipe next time if you can--it will prevent any glitches or accidental changes.
Grace Grasso
Taste very similar to paneras I love them I use buttermilk though
Emma
We're so glad you enjoyed the muffins, Grace! Thanks for making our recipe!
jenny hernandez
I love love love love these delicious muffins
Emma
Thank you, Jenny! We're glad you like them!
Megan
What would the time and temp be for regular size muffins sheet (cupcake pan)? I don’t have a oversized muffin pan
Emma
The oven temperature would be the same. I'd start by baking them at 400°F for 5 minutes and at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a couple of moist crumbs.
Jan
It’s not christmas and no one has fresh, or even frozen cranberries. Is there any way to use dried cranberries, like the Craisins?
Emma
Yes, you can definitely use dried cranberries instead. I'd recommend soaking them in boiling water for a few minutes to soften them and to give the muffins a better texture.
Patty
Dumb question.... Do I just turn the heat down on the oven and start timing again, or do I need to remove the muffins until the oven cools some?
I can't wait to try this recipe!!!
Emma
Keep the muffins in the oven the whole time; if they are removed during the baking process, they'll collapse. Enjoy!
Linda R
Hi, I love Panera's Cranberry orange muffins and really wanted to try making my own. I saw several copycat recipes online but in the end tried yours because the picture looked the most like Panera's.
These are fantastic, and very similar the ones at the restaurant. Mine came out looking just like yours, which I was so happy about! (The only thing I'd change is to possibly add more fresh orange zest.
I also boosted the orange juice to 1/2 cup to hopefully make them more orange-y.) This will be my new go-to cranberry orange muffins!
Emma
I'm so glad that you enjoyed the muffins and the photos, Linda! One can never go wrong with more orange zest. Enjoy!
Margaret
i have a bag of dried cranberries. can I use them?
Emma
Yes, you can use 1-1 1/2 cups of dried cranberries. These muffins are the best with fresh/frozen cranberries, but they'll still be delicious!
Alex
The cranberries in these muffins are sour, and the orange balances it with sweetness. I can taste a hint of vanilla inside these cranberry orange muffins, and the inside of them is nice and fluffy.
Emma
Thanks for your kind review, Alex!
Beth
This copycat recipe makes muffins that are a lot better than the Panera ones. It is lighter textured, and has more orange zing. I love the crunchy top and the sour cranberries inside.
Emma
I'm glad you liked the muffins so much, Beth!