by Lindsay 38 Comments
Hi Friends!
I made you some muffins.
Cranberry Whole Wheat Muffins
But first, let’s have a little chat about cranberries shall we?
*This post is sponsored by The Cranberry Institute*
Fresh cranberries are far and away one of my favorite parts of fall. I’m one of those crazy ladies that stocks up when they go on sale for $1 a bag and I’m not afraid to buy 10 bags to keep in my freezer and use throughout the year!
Cranberries are super versatile. I use them in both savory and sweet dishes.
PLUS they have tons of health benefits. Here are a few:
- They’re nutrient dense. Cranberries provide vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients without providing an excess of calories (1 cup of raw cranberries has about 50 calories). They’re also naturally fat-free and contain very little sodium.
- They contain the flavonoid, proanthocyanidin (PAC) that help prevent UTIs.The PACs in cranberries help prevent the adhesion of certain harmful bacteria, including E. coli, associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs).2,3
- They’re good for your heart!Whole cranberries are a good source of dietary fiber and all cranberry products contain flavonoids and polyphenolics that offer a wide range of potential heart health benefits including defense against atherosclerosis and anti-inflammatory properties.15,16
- They can help protect against ulcers.Cranberries may prevent adhesion of the bacteria H. pylori to the lining of the stomach which can help reduce the risk of stomach ulcers.
- They may help prevent cancer. Researchsuggest that PACs from cranberries may have anticancer and anti-angiogenic properties, while cranberry juice may help inhibit the growth of cancer cell lines.27,28 Scientists continue to investigate this area of research.
—————-
If you’re not a fan of fresh cranberries, have no fear! Dried cranberries are another great option. Here’s why:
- MyPlate suggests trying dried fruits, including dried cranberries, as a snack because they are easy-to-carry and store well.
- Dried cranberries are a good source of fiber – 10% of the Daily Value – with 2.3 grams per serving (40 gram serving).
- The amount of sugar in dried cranberries is equal to that of other dried fruits. Dried cranberries are sweetened because unlike other berries, cranberries are naturally low in sugar and high in acidity so they require sweetening to be palatable. Sweetening helps balance out their natural tartness.
- They can be easily added to oatmeal, rice and grain side dishes, meat entrées, casseroles, salads and more!
*Note, you can also look for reduced sugar dried cranberries which is what I buy!
So, now that you know a little bit more about how amazing cranberries are for you….let’s move on to how you should use them!
Here’s an easy way to incorporate fresh cranberries into diet as a grab & go breakfast or snacks:
Cranberry Whole Wheat Muffins
The perfect muffin for grab and go Fall breakfast!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest (grated orange peel)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 11/4 cup milk
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 cup fresh or frozen, thawed cranberries, halved
- 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl combine flours, sugar, baking power, ginger, orange zest, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together milk, melted butter, and egg. Stir in cranberries and nuts.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and stir just until blended. Do not over mix.
- Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle granulated sugar on top of muffins, if desired.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned.
Like I mentioned in the notes above, I make these using all white whole wheat flour and replace some of the butter with applesauce.
These muffins are also easily customizable. I used lemon zest instead of orange zest and almonds instead of pecans.
Let’s chat!
Are you a cranberry fan? What’s your favorite cranberry recipe?
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
PS. It’s this guy’s birthday today 🙂
Happy birthday hubby! I love you!!
Sources:
2. Howell A. Cranberry Proanthocyanidins and the Maintenance of Urinary Tract Health. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2002; 42(S): 273-278.3. Gupta K, Chou M, Howell A, Wobbe C, Grady R, Stapleton A. Cranberry products inhibit adherence of p-fimbriated Escherichia coli to primary cultured bladder and vagin*l epithelial cells. J Urol 2007; 177(6): 2357-23608. Foxman B, Barlow R, D’Arcy H, Gillespie B, Sobel JD. Urinary tract infection: self-reported incidence and associated costs. Ann Epidemiol 2000 Nov; 10(8): 509-15.15. McKay DL, Blumbery JB. Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors. Nutrition Reviews 2007; 65: 490-502.16. Shabrova EV., et al. Insights into the molecular mechanisms of the anti-atherogenic actions of flavonoids in normal and obese mice. PLoS One 2011;6(10):e24634.22. Kivimaki AS, et al. Lingonberry, cranberry and blackcurrent juices affect mRNA expressions of inflammatory and atherothrombotic markers of SHR in a long-term treatment. J Funct Food 2012; 4:496-503.27. Kim KK, et al. Anti-angiogenic activity of cranberry proanthocyanidins and cytotoxic properties in ovarian cancer cells. Int J Oncol 2012;40(1):227-235.28. Vu KD, et al. Effect of different cranberry extracts and juices during cranberry juice processing on the antiproliferative activity against two colon cancer cell lines. Food Chem 2012; 132(2):959-967.
LEARN HOW FOOD AFFECTS YOUR BODY.
Get my free Table Talk email series where I share bite-sized nutrition information about carbs, protein, and fat, plus bonus information about snacks and sugar!
About Lindsay
Lindsay Livingston is a Registered Dietitian and new mom from Columbus, Ohio. On her blog, she shares simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, workouts and snapshots of her life. Follow her on Twitter @LeanGrnBeanBlog and Instagram @TheLeanGreenBean and be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you never miss a post!
Reader Interactions
Comments
Elena saysI love cranberries– and use them often in my salads but these muffins look delicious!
Reply
- Lisa says
It’s my birthday too! Well, actually I don’t know if you’re talking about the 30th or the 1st but mines the first;)
These look really delicious! I always forget about baking with cranberries around Fall. I’m not too sure why – I guess it’s because pumpkin tends to overpower them, but I’m all for trying out new things! I just picked up a bag of fresh cranberries and have been adding them to my morning breakfast porridge with orange zest/slices of orange. Love the tart flavour they add!
Reply
- Linz @ Itz Linz says
i do love cranberries! i usually just add them to oatmeal or trail mixes, but these muffins look awesome!!
Reply
- Louly says
These look delicious! I forget about cranberries until Thanksgiving comes around so I am glad you reminded me how much I like them! I would like to try to dry my own – I need to figure out how – have you tried that?
Reply
- HollieisFueledByLOLZ says
I do love cranberries as well and these look really good. I remember I made cranberry muffins a while back but I might have to try my hand at these too!
Reply
Happy birthday to your husband! I don’t think I’ve ever worked with fresh cranberries…I do like dried ones though. This seems like a good place to start my foray into the fresh ones 😉
Reply
- Lindsay says
yay! give them a try for sure!
Reply
- Carissa says
Yeah for fresh cranberries!
Reply
Happy birthday to your hubs! These muffins look great!
Reply
Yummm love these! I am going to have to get in the kitchen soon! Cranberries are delicious – I usually buy the frozen fruit for my smoothies with cranberries in them because I think they add such a delicious flavor!
Reply
For these muffins, you have won my eternal love. Seriously. These look amazing and can’t wait to make them!
Reply
THESE LOOK AWESOME!
Reply
- Jody - Fit at 55 says
Happy bday to the hubby!!!
Those look amazing but of course muffins in general do! 🙂 I like to add in a couple berries if I have them at home – cranberries are a bit tart for me so a little sweetness for me is nice! 🙂
Reply
Happy birthday to your hubs – I hope you two have fun celebrating! AND I hope that he got one of these muffins for breakfast 😉 I love cranberry anything and these look great for fall!
Reply
- Sarah Kay Hoffman says
These look awesome! I should attempt them gluten free and grain free:)
Reply
Love that tablecloth behind your muffins…so cute!
I love cranberries ! You must try Baked Salmon with dill and cranberries…So good 🙂Reply
Lindsay, these muffins look so good. Cranberry, orange zest, and pecans…Mmmm! Just pinned them to my healthy meals board.
Reply
- Lisa says
Mmmmm, we had Thanksgiving early this year, so I have half a bag of frozen cranberries kicking around the freezer. Thanks for the inspiration!
Reply
Love cranberries! Such a winter food for me that I get excited about. Once November hits, I’ll have homemade cranberry sauce on the stove and cookies in the oven!
Reply
Perfect timing! I just found a bag of cranberries in the back of the freezer (from last winter). I’d love to try making these muffins.
Reply
I will take cranberry over raisins any other day..Apricots comes very close 🙂
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
Reply
- Jessi Boehme says
I am a big fan of dried cranberries! I put them in almost any type of bread I make, pancakes, oatmeal, salads, yogurt, cereal and now I need to try these muffins! I also loved that mentioned applesauce as a substitution, most people haven’t started using it but when they see recipes where people have actually used it, they will use it too! (:
Reply
Ooooh, these muffins look wonderful! Who knew that cranberries are so healthy for you. That’s awesome!
Happy Birthday to your hubby!!
Reply
- Jennifer F says
Yes, I love cranberries — my fav recipe is an old family holiday recipe for a slaw or salsa, don’t know what you’d call it. Basically, throw fresh cranberries, a whole orange (with the peel on) and a little lime juice in the food processor and pulse till chunky . I think my mom used to put tons of sugar in it, but it’s fine without — or sometimes if too tart, I add some Stevia
Reply
I’ve not seen fresh or frozen cranberries here in Australia but we do have the dried cranberries so I might give them a go with those instead 🙂
I’ve always wondered if dried cranberries were not great for you because they are sweetened so it is great to know it is no more than other dried fruit.
Reply
- Lindsay says
i think these would be great with dried cranberries as well!
Reply
- She Rocks Fitness says
I love fresh homemade cranberry sauce and then adding the leftovers to my oatmeal…YUMMY! I also like adding dried cranberries to salads. These muffins look perfect for fall and would be so yummy topped with honey or nut butter.
Reply
These look delicious!
Reply
- Dean says
I just realized that even though I love cranberries, I don’t use it in anything. Guess i’m going to start with muffins.
Reply
- Ari @ Ari's Menu says
These look delicious!! I especially love the addition of the toasted pecans!
Reply
Ohh, these look amazing, Lindsay, and I love that you used FRESH cranberries! I love that pop of tart juiciness that you get when you cook them! Love dried cranberries too! I use them all the time in my oats and pancakes. Where do you find your reduced-sugar ones?
Reply
- Charity says
I’m going to make these right now. I go a bit nuts buying cranberries when thwy go on sale too. Thanks for the recipe and Happy Birthday to your guy.
I love dried cranberries- but only without sugar so I make my own. I just love the tang- perfect snack with some raw nuts.
★★★★★
Reply
- Lindsay says
awesome! that’s on my list of things to make this fall!
Reply
- Laurel Hicks says
Is there enough liquid in this recipe…I made these and they seem awfully dense. I did use almond milk instead of regular milk. But I didn’t think that would matter as I’ve done that in other recipes.
★★
Reply
- Mackenzie says
I made this recipe and, yes, the muffins do come out very dense. Next time I might try a liquid sweetener instead of the granulated sugar and see what difference that makes!
Reply
- Serena says
These were AWESOME! I made them tonight for breakfast this morning. My 3 yr old helped. Didn’t have any orange. And used 1 cup whole wheat and 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour. Turned out great. So happy to find a RELIABLE bloger w/ a whole cranberry recipe as a bag o berries had been sitting in my freezer from when I bought a bunch on sale during the holidays!
Reply
- Candace says
My daughter has Type 1 diabetes and we have to have the nutritional information. How would I get that?
Reply
