Ingredients

For the Cranberry Orange Muffins:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon orange zest, finely grated
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


FOR ORANGE GLAZE
1/2 teaspoon orange extract, optional
1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
1/3 cup orange juice
2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
For the Orange Glaze (Optional):
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest, finely grated
2 teaspoons whole milk, more if needed to achieve desired consistency

Instructions

For the Cranberry Orange Muffins:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and spray lightly with non-stick baking spray. Set aside until needed.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom; set aside.
In a separate large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars, orange zest, vanilla extract, and orange extract. And beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

Turn mixer off and set batter aside for a moment. In a spouted bowl or measuring cup, add the sour cream and orange juice and whisk well to combine.
With the mixer speed on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Be sure not to over mix here. Fold the cranberries into the batter, mixing just until evenly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among prepared muffin tins.
Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, or with a just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool muffins 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
For the Orange Glaze:

In a medium mixing bowl combine the confectioners' sugar, orange juice, zest, and milk; whisk until smooth, adding more milk as needed to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over the muffins right before serving.

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