Don’t underestimate the power of this little berry! Tart and juicy, cranberries add some major flavor punch to everything from buttery baked goods to creamy, cheesy party bites.
And a little goes a long way, and just a few handfuls are all you’ll need to make any of these recipes. So what are you making first?
9. Apple Butter Cranberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
Sub in Greek yogurt for the sour cream for an extra boost of protein! Apple butter and cranberries are a match made in muffin heaven. Apple butter keeps these muffins extra moist while tart cranberries add flavor bombs in every bite. I love that this buttery cinnamon streusel doesn’t sink into the muffins so you get streusel with every bite!
Apple Butter Cranberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, sour cream, milk and apple butter.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in the cranberries. Fill the muffin tin 2/3 of the way with batter.
- Make the streusel: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir with a fork. Sprinkle streusel on top of the muffins before baking. Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool to room temperature before removing from muffin tin.
8. Cranberry Jalapeño Cream Cheese Dip
Creamy, cool cream cheese tones down the spicy jalapeño in this dip that’s balanced just right. The tart cranberries add a punch of flavor and a splash of color to this party appetizer dip that’s sure to be a hit!
It’s the perfect balance of sweet, tart, and a little spicy, and your guests will love this dip. Stock up on your favorite dippers, because this dip won’t last long!
Cranberry Jalapeño Dip
Ingredients
Method
- Place cranberries into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped.
- Remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapeño peppers. Give them a rough chop. Add them to the food processor, along with the chopped scallions, sugar, lime juice, cilantro and salt.
- Pulse until the mixture becomes like a relish. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
- Place the cranberry relish into a mesh strainer set over a bowl to drain out the liquid.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese using an electric hand mixer. Then, fold in the cranberry mixture until well combined. Serve cold or at room temperature.
7. Homemade Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
After making this easy, from-scratch cranberry sauce, you’ll never go back to the canned stuff! Fresh cranberries are cooked down with orange juice and sugar until partially broken down, creating a lovely balance of saucey and whole cranberries.
The secret ingredient? A tiny bit of nutmeg. It really makes a difference! Serve it alongside turkey, stir it into Greek yogurt, or use it as a topping for brie cheese, then bake it into a quick and easy appetizer.
Homemade Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce (Easy Recipe)
Ingredients
Method
- Put water and sugar into a medium saucepan. Zest the orange and set aside the zest. Juice the orange and add it to the saucepan (you should get about 1/4 cup of juice from one orange). Bring the water, sugar and juice to a boil. Add cranberries. Return to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. The cranberries should have started to pop by now.
- Add the orange zest and nutmeg. Smash the cranberries with a wooden spoon until about half of them are smashed and the rest are left whole. Simmer on low heat about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container.
6. Cranberry Orange Crumb Muffins
If you love a muffin with a crumbly, buttery top, these are for you! Orange zest goes into both the buttermilk batter and the brown sugar crumb topping, so you get citrus in every single bite. Tart cranberries and a hint of cinnamon round things out beautifully. Fresh or frozen berries both work, so you can bake a batch any time the craving hits.
Cranberry Orange Crumb Muffins
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sugar, eggs, oil, juice, zest and vanilla.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the cranberries. Fill the muffin tin 3/4 of the way full with batter.
- In a small bowl, combine all the topping ingredients and mix with a fork. Sprinkle the topping over the muffins and bake for 25 minutes.
5. Chewy Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
Soft, chewy and loaded with goodies, these oatmeal cookies are hard to resist. Tart dried cranberries and sweet white chocolate chips get mixed into a hearty oat dough with a secret ingredient: molasses. That little bit of molasses is what keeps them so chewy! Store them in an airtight container and they’ll stay soft for days, if they last that long.
Chewy Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and molasses together. (Alternatively, use a large bowl and electric hand mixer.)
- Combine oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until combined. Fold in the cranberries and white chocolate morsels. Chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Drop dough in heaping tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies 14-16 minutes until they are golden. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.
4. Cranberry Orange Bisconie
These buttery little pastries are bursting with cranberries, and good luck stopping at just one. Part scone and part biscuit, these soft, flaky pastries get a nice tang from buttermilk and bright flavor from fresh cranberries and orange zest.
A sprinkle of turbinado sugar bakes into a golden brown crust on top. Serve them warm with a smear of butter or jam and a hot cup of tea.
Cranberry Orange Bisconie Recipe (Best Mini Scones)
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Slice the fresh cranberries in half. Set aside.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until combined.
- Cut 9 Tbsp. of the cold butter into cubes. Work the butter into the dry mixture using a pastry blender, food processor or your hands.
- Pour in the buttermilk, halved cranberries and orange zest. Mix to combine.
- On a floured surface, work the bisconie dough together with your hands until a soft dough forms. Roll the dough out to a thickness of 1 inch. Cut 3-inch circles in the dough, using a biscuit cutter or a glass. Reroll the scraps and repeat as necessary.
- Transfer the bisconies to a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp. of butter in a small bowl that is microwave safe. Brush the bisconies with the melted butter. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
3. Panera-Style Cranberry Orange Muffins
Why make a bakery run when these jumbo muffins come together right in your own kitchen? Fresh orange juice, orange zest and juicy cranberries flavor a super moist buttermilk batter. Sprinkle raw sugar on top before baking for that sweet, crusty lid you know and love. A standard muffin tin works just fine if you don’t have a jumbo one.
Best Panera-Style Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a jumbo muffin tin with paper liners or coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- Zest both oranges. Squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice from an orange. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, sugar, eggs, oil, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the cranberries. Fill the muffin tin 3/4 of the way full with batter. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over the tops of the muffins.
- Bake 25 minutes until tops are golden brown, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool to room temperature in the muffin tin.
2. Baked Brie and Cranberry Tartlets with Crescent Rolls
These two-bite party snacks are about as easy as appetizers get! Crescent roll dough goes into a mini muffin tin, then each little cup gets a cube of brie, a spoonful of cranberry sauce and some chopped pecans. Bake until golden and finish with a sprinkle of fresh rosemary. Assemble them ahead of time and just pop them in the oven when guests arrive.
Baked Brie and Cranberry Tartlets with Crescent Rolls
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Roll out the crescent dough and pinch the seams together with your fingers so that it forms one large rectangle. Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut the dough into 24 squares.
- Cut brie into 24 small cubes.
- Press dough squares into each compartment of the muffin tin. Place one cube of brie into each piece of dough. Top brie with 1 tsp. of cranberry sauce and some pecans. Bake 13-15 minutes or until dough is puffed and golden.
- Allow to cool 10 minutes, then remove tartlets from muffin tin and sprinkle with chopped rosemary.
1. Better than Starbucks Cranberry Orange Scones
Flaky, buttery and bursting with fresh cranberries, these scones give Starbucks a serious run for its money. Unlike the coffee shop version, these use fresh cranberries instead of dried, plus fresh orange juice and zest. Cold butter and heavy cream are the secret to those tender, flaky layers. Don’t skip the sweet orange glaze drizzled over the top!
Better than Starbucks Cranberry Orange Scones Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Cut butter into cubes and work it into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or your fingers. (Alternatively, use a food processor). The mixture should resemble coarse sand.
- Zest the orange and squeeze out 1 1/2 tsp. of juice. Stir orange zest and juice into the flour mixture.
- Reserve 2 Tbsp. from the cup of cream and set aside. Pour in the remaining cream and stir to combine. Slice the cranberries in half and fold into the dough.
- Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead together until a soft dough forms. Form the dough into a disc that is at least 1" thick. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Unwrap the dough and slice into 8 wedges. Place the scones onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with the reserved cream and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake 25-28 minutes.
- Make the glaze: whisk the confectioner's sugar and orange juice in a small bowl. Drizzle over top of the scones once they have cooled.
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