Description
These Easy Autumn Chai Spice Cranberry Muffins are a perfect blend of warm spices and tart cranberries, ideal for cozy fall mornings or festive gatherings. Made with whole wheat and all-purpose flour, they balance sweetness with wholesome ingredients and aromatic chai spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and clove. Moist and tender with a hint of spice, these muffins bring comforting flavors in every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground fennel
- 1/8 tsp ground clove
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
Sugars
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup golden brown sugar, packed
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup coconut or vegetable oil
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup buttermilk
Fruit
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries + extra for topping
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare the muffin tin: Preheat your oven to 375˚F (190˚C). Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line it with baking cups to prevent sticking.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, fennel, clove, and black pepper until evenly combined to build the spice base for the muffins.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the beaten eggs, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla extract, coconut or vegetable oil, unsweetened applesauce, and buttermilk until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
- Incorporate wet into dry: Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the bowl with your dry ingredients. Stir gently just until combined; avoid overmixing to keep the muffins tender.
- Add the cranberries: Fold in the fresh or frozen cranberries gently, distributing them evenly through the batter without breaking them up too much.
- Fill the muffin cups: Evenly divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each with about 2 to 3 heaping spoonfuls. You can add extra batter to make jumbo muffins if desired. Place a few additional cranberries on top of each muffin and gently press them into the batter for a decorative touch.
- Bake the muffins: Place the tin on the center oven rack and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The muffins are done when the tops have turned golden and bounce back when lightly pressed.
- Cool and serve: Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely or serve warm.
Notes
- Use fresh or frozen cranberries; there’s no need to thaw frozen cranberries before adding.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute buttermilk with almond milk mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar.
- You can swap coconut oil with vegetable oil or melted butter for slight flavor variations.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
- These muffins freeze well; thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in a microwave before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snack, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
Keywords: chai spice muffins, cranberry muffins, autumn muffins, healthy muffins, whole wheat muffins, fall baking, spiced muffins
