Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins

What’s better than a freshly baked muffin, especially a cranberry cream cheese muffin? These treats are a dream come true—wonderfully moist with a tender crumb, chock-full of tart cranberries and pecans with the subtle tang of cream cheese, all topped with a simple vanilla drizzle. They’re just right with your morning coffee or as an after-school snack for the kids.

As with many of our muffin recipes, you can have a batch ready to serve in just over 30 minutes. And if you’re new to making homemade muffins, take a few minutes to learn our bakery-style muffin tips, and then dive in.

Ingredients for Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins

• Softened butter
• Softened cream cheese
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Fresh or frozen cranberries
• Pecans

Drizzle:

• Confectioners’ sugar
• 2% milk

Directions

Step 1: Combine the wet ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Add the room-temperature eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla.

Step 2: Add the dry ingredients

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir that into the creamed mixture until just moistened, then fold in the cranberries and pecans.

Editor’s Tip: When making muffins, take care not to overmix the batter. Doing so overworks the gluten in the flour and will result in muffins with a dense, tough structure.

Step 3: Bake the muffins

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-quarters full. Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let them cool for five minutes before removing them to wire racks to continue cooling.

Step 4: Drizzle with icing

In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar and milk, then drizzle the icing over the muffins.

How to Store Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Store any cranberry muffins with cream cheese that aren’t eaten right away in an airtight food storage container. They’ll keep at room temperature for up to three days or refrigerated for up to a week. Can you freeze muffins? Yes, these will keep in the freezer for up to two months, once they’re fully cooled and packed in freezer containers. Let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours at room temperature before serving.

For the best way to store baked goods, add a paper towel to the storage container to absorb the moisture the muffins will expel as they age. This will help prevent them from becoming overly dense or sticky on top.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffin Tips

Can you use fresh or frozen cranberries in muffins?

You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries, but what might surprise you is that we actually recommend frozen cranberries for this recipe. The reason is that frozen cranberries tend to release less juice into the batter as they bake, so your muffins don’t become discolored. Additionally, frozen cranberries tend to hold their shape better through baking. The same logic applies to choosing fresh or frozen berries when making blueberry or raspberry muffins.

What else can you add to cranberry cream cheese muffins?

If you’re looking for ways to jazz up this cranberry cream cheese muffin recipe, consider adding the zest from an orange or lemon. If you don’t have fresh produce available, you could opt for 1 teaspoon of lemon or orange extract. Want to make your muffins extra-decadent? Top them with a dollop of cream cheese frosting.

What should you serve with cranberry cream cheese muffins?

Our favorite pairing for a cranberry muffin will always be homemade coffee shop drinks. If you’re looking for a more complete and balanced meal, add a hearty breakfast casserole, a colorful fruit salad and a side of crispy oven-baked bacon.