Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins With Orange Streusel

by Steph Sunshine at StephSunshine.com

Yield 10 muffins

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour*
  • 3/4 cup vegan granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/3 cup sunflower oil
  • 1 tbsp. orange zest (from about 2 medium oranges)*
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen

Orange Streusel Topping (Optional)

  • 1/3 cup vegan granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. orange zest
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp. vegan butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Position a rack in the upper part of your oven, then preheat your oven to 425°F (220°F). Line a standard-sized muffin tin with 10 cupcake liners.
  2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl.
  3. Separately, in a large measuring cup or bowl, mix together almond milk, orange juice, sunflower oil, 1 tbsp. orange zest, and vanilla extract.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients, then mix until the batter is just combined. Be careful not to over-mix; once there's no more dry flour and the batter is still lumpy, stop mixing. (Refer to the photo for the correct texture.)
  5. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in your cranberries, being careful not to over-mix the batter.
  6. Scoop the batter into each cupcake liner equally, almost to the top of the liner (about 80 g. of batter per muffin).
  7. Optional, for streusel: In a small bowl, mix 1/3 cup of sugar and 1 tsp. orange zest, gently pressing the orange zest into the sugar to distribute its oils (see left photo). Add in the flour and mix well, then add the melted vegan butter and stir until just clumpy. (See right photo for the correct texture). Avoid over-mixing, or it could develop a paste-like texture. Sprinkle the orange streusel over the muffins and press in lightly.
  8. Place the muffin pan at the center of the top rack of the oven and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 5 minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, reduce the heat to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 15 minutes longer. To check whether your muffins are done, insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin; it should come out clean without crumbs or batter. If it doesn't pass the toothpick test, bake another 2-3 minutes or until done.
  9. Place the muffin pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and place them directly on the wire rack to cool completely.

Notes & Hints

For the most accurate flour measurement, switch to metric and weigh your flour. If you don't have a kitchen scale, be sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup before leveling it off; don't scoop the cup into the flour.

For more information on how to zest an orange, see the section in the blog post titled, "How to Zest an Orange."

StephSunshine