Made By Emily
Breakfast

Cranberry Orange Cottage Cheese Muffins with Tender Centers

Recipe Summary

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20–24 minutes
  • Total Time: 30–35 minutes
  • Servings: 12 muffins
  • Cuisine: American
  • Course: Breakfast, Snack
  • Calories: ~190 per muffin

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup (225 g) cottage cheese (full-fat or low-fat)
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) neutral oil (canola, vegetable, or avocado oil)
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (about 1 large orange)
  • 1 cup (100 g) fresh or frozen cranberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat and prep the pan.
    Heat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners (or grease well).

  2. Mix the wet ingredients.
    In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, granulated sugar, oil, and orange zest until evenly combined. (It won’t be perfectly smooth—little curds are fine.)

  3. Add the dry ingredients.
    Sprinkle in the flour and baking powder. Use a spatula to fold just until you no longer see dry streaks of flour. The batter should look thick and a bit lumpy—don’t try to “fix” that.

  4. Fold in the cranberries.
    Gently fold in the cranberries until they’re evenly distributed. If using frozen cranberries, work quickly so they don’t start staining the batter too much.

  5. Fill the muffin cups.
    Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cups (they’ll be fairly full). Smooth the tops lightly if needed.

  6. Bake.
    Bake for 20–24 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (a moist crumb is fine; wet batter is not).

  7. Cool properly (this helps the texture).
    Let muffins cool in the pan for 8 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling. This keeps the bottoms from getting soggy.

Recipe Notes

  • Zest first, then juice later: Zest your orange before cutting it—much easier.
  • Don’t overmix: Fold just until the flour disappears. Overmixing makes muffins chewy and peaked in a tough way.
  • Even portions bake evenly: A scoop (about 1/4 cup / 60 ml) helps keep muffins the same size.
  • Watch the last few minutes: Muffins can go from moist to dry quickly once they’re done—start checking at 20 minutes.
  • For prettier tops: Press 2–3 cranberries onto the top of each muffin before baking.

Nutrition Estimate

Per muffin (1 of 12), approximate:

  • Calories: 190
  • Protein: 5 g
  • Carbs: 26 g
  • Fat: 7 g