
Can you believe we’re less than a week out from Christmas?! Trust me, you’ll want to whip up a batch of these Cranberry Orange Oat Muffins for breakfast for yourself and/or family this week! I made these for myself a few weeks ago and was crushing them for meal prepped breakfasts and snacks. I couldn’t get enough!
I love the little bursts of tangy brightness that the fresh cranberries bring to the muffins, along with the subtle orange flavor throughout thanks to plenty of orange zest and orange juice. The crumb topping really is what makes these muffins incredible though. The brown sugar, butter, flour, and oats combine to make the most delicious crumbly topping – perfectly sweet, with big enough chunks that you can bite into…or pull them off and eat them on their own 😉 I will not judge you for how you like to eat the oat crumble on your muffins!

Why the type of
Protein Matters
These muffins also have a nice little kick of protein thanks to the 2 scoops of protein powder added to the batter…6 grams of protein per muffin! If you’ve been to my blog before, you know I love to incorporate protein into my baked goods, but I don’t like to add so much that people can tell there’s protein in them. These muffins are nice and tender, with a perfectly moist crumb inside.
The key to nailing the texture here is to use a combination of whey protein and casein protein. Too much whey and you end up with a chewy muffin, too much casein and it’ll be way too dry. There are protein powders on the market that have both already combined in one container, but I prefer to just make my own 50/50 mix.

Ingredients & Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate these Cranberry Orange Oat Muffins at home!
- Rolled oats – Because these oats are soaked in milk before being added to the muffin batter, you can hardly tell there are whole oats in the baked muffins! If you look closely you can see them, but otherwise they meld oh so perfectly with the flour. Other types of oats like quick oats or steel cut oats will behave differently, so I don’t recommend swapping this ingredient.
- All purpose flour – AP flour helps build baked goods that are light and airy, which is great for tender muffins!
- Protein powder – I recommend using a whey/casein blend in this recipe. Whey alone tends to yield a chewy baked product that doesn’t rise nearly as much, but it’s okay to use in a pinch. Casein alone will suck up too much moisture and result in dry muffins that aren’t as tender. You can buy pre-mixed whey/casein blends or just make your own mix.
- Baking powder – This gives the muffins a good rise as they cook. They also help make sure they aren’t too dense.
- Baking soda – Just a little bit helps increase the lift and browning on top of the muffins.
- Cinnamon – A little spice and everything nice.
- Cranberries – Fresh or frozen will work great. I like to chop mine up for maximum flavor distribution and to avoid any collapsed pockets around a shrunken whole cranberry.
- Applesauce – Helps keep the muffins moist and tasty. You could also use Greek yogurt, though it will make a more dense muffin.
- Milk – Use whatever neutral tasting milk you prefer! I used almond milk, which doesn’t have a strong flavor. Some non-dairy milks have a really strong flavor or are overly sweet – I’d stay away from those in this recipe.
- Orange juice and zest – Here’s where the orange flavor comes in! The zest is really the powerhouse of this couple.
- Eggs – These are the glue that bring the dough together and add a bit of protein too.
- Sugar – Adds the needed sweetness to the batter. It really helps to use sugar here instead of a liquid sweetener to help keep the muffins tender and light.
- Vanilla extract – Like salt in a savory dish, vanilla tends to enhance the flavors of a sweet recipe.
Crumble Topping
I’ll be honest, I tried to figure out if the topping I made for these muffins was actually a streusel or a crumble. But that involved math and really just didn’t seem worth it. Apparently the only difference between the two is the ratio of fat to flour and sugar. Who knew?! Regardless of what it’s called, it’s delicious and serves as the proverbial cherry on top of these tender muffins.
I like to mix it together with my hands and then use a spoon to help me get it on top of the muffins. Be sure not to overmix – you want the crumbles to still be in tact! Press the crumbs and crumbles down lightly into the muffin batter so it sticks. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Rolled oats – it’s great to see the whole oats on top of the muffins, plus a nice texture to complement the crumbles!
- All purpose flour – helps hold the butter, sugar, and oats in little balls of deliciousness that crisp up beautifully in the oven.
- Butter – be sure to start out with cold butter! It will take a little more time to cut it in with the rest of the ingredients but it will help ensure you end up with a crisp crumble instead of a melty mess on top of your muffins.
- Light brown sugar – You need the sweetness, plus the sugar helps crisp up the crumble so it’s a delight to bite into.
- Cinnamon – add a little warmth and pop of flavor right when you bite into the muffins.

Storage
These muffins will keep their incredible texture for 2-3 days covered on the counter. You can make them last longer (5-7 days) by storing them in the refrigerator. Just be sure to warm them up in the microwave for about 10 seconds before serving so they soften up a bit. You could also leave them to warm to room temperature on the counter before serving.
I haven’t tried freezing them myself, but they should freeze well – just remove as much air from their storage container as possible (without crushing the muffins). Thaw them in the refrigerator at room temperature or on the counter before serving.
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Here are some items I used to help make this recipe a success.

Recipe

Cranberry Orange Oat Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats, (120 grams)
- 0.625 cups all purpose flour, (1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp = 75 grams)
- 1 scoop Dymatize Elite Vanilla Casein Protein Powder, (34 grams)
- 1 scoop Cellucor Whipped Vanilla whey protein powder, (32 grams)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, roughly chopped, (150 grams)
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, (305 grams)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, (2.67 fl oz)
- 1/3 cup orange juice, (2.67 fl oz)
- 1/4 cup sugar, (60 grams)
- 3 tbsp orange zest (zest of about 3 oranges), (12 grams)
- 2 eggs, room temperature, (100 grams)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Crumb Topping
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, (67 grams)
- 1 tbsp sugar, (15 grams)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened or partially melted, (45 grams)
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour, (42 grams)
- 1/3 cup rolled oats, (27 grams)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Icing (Optional – not included in nutrition info)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, (90 grams)
- 1 1/2 tsp milk of choice
- 1 1/2 tsp orange juice
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425°.
- Make the muffin batter: Mix all dry muffin ingredients with chopped cranberries and set aside.
- Whisk all wet muffin ingredients until well combined. Add to dry mixture and mix until just combined. Divide evenly into 16 non-stick baking cups.
- Make the crumb topping: Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon together until combined. Stir in the softened butter until well combined, and then gently mix in the flour and rolled oats using a fork. Keep the mixture as large crumbles and do not over-mix. Using your hand or a spoon, divide the topping among the 16 muffins and gently press into the tops of the muffins so it sticks.
- Bake: Bake at 425° for 5 minutes, then lower heat to 350° and bake for 20-22 minutes or until tops of muffins begin to brown slightly and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Optional – add icing: Whisk milk and orange juice into the powdered sugar until it reaches a runny consistency. Drizzle on top of cooled muffins.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information



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