Gluten-Free Cranberry-Orange-Pecan Cornbread Muffins

For me, this fall has been all about cranberries.

And I’m completely shocked to say that even my seasonal favs like apple and pumpkin have taken the backseat to cranberry this fall. (How did that happen?!)

I think I’m finally giving cranberry the spotlight it deserves. (And shame on me for not doing it sooner! But I did share some pretty fabulous Cranberry-Flax Cookies and some lovely Dark Chocolate-Coated Cranberry Cake Bites.)

But this year I went cranberry-crazy…

Creamy Cranberry-Walnut Chicken Salad

Cranberry-Chocolate-Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Sweet and Tangy Cabbage-Cranberry Sauté

And now these beautiful muffins, which, I want to add, are neither dry nor flavorless the way that gluten-free and/or cornbread muffins can sometimes be. Nope. These are tender, moist, and bursting with flavor.

Cranberries, pecans, vanilla, and orange zest is a lovely blend of flavors that I think makes these muffins feel festive and special. They’d be the perfect addition to a holiday brunch on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, especially if you’re cooking for people who don’t eat gluten. But the others probably won’t guess that these are gluten-free if you don’t tell them!

If you’re like me and can’t get enough cranberries this fall, you might be interested in Cooking Light’s article In Season: Cranberries. Not only does it link to various recipes using cranberries, but it also gives a bit of history about them, selection and storage tips, and information about their health benefits!

Gluten-Free Cranberry-Orange-Pecan Cornbread Muffins

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Yield: About 1½ to 2 dozen muffins

Ingredients

2 cups (320 g) gluten-free all-purpose flour mix
1 cup (140 g) fine-grind cornmeal (I used Arrowhead Mills)
2½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup (60 g) dried cranberries
½ cup (60 g) toasted pecans, chopped
8 tablespoons (115 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups (250 g) sugar
3 large eggs
1¼ cups (300 ml) milk (I used almond milk, but you can use whatever you like)
¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice (preferably fresh-squeezed)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange zest

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F; line muffin trays with paper liners.
Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl; stir in the cranberries and pecans.
Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl, and then beat in the eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in the milk, orange juice, vanilla extract, and orange zest.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet all at once and stir just to combine, being careful not to over-mix.
Fill each muffin well about ¾ full (with about ¼ cup of batter) and bake until a toothpick inserted inside comes out clean or with just a couple crumbs, about 16 to 20 minutes, being careful not to over-bake.