Delicious bakery-style Cranberry Bran Flake Muffins are so easy to make.
Crushed bran flakes, and dried cranberries with a hint of orange flavour. Perfect for breakfast, lunch boxes, and more.
You might like to try these tasty Apple Cranberry Scones too.
I can never resist a freshly baked muffin to go with my morning coffee. It has been difficult to find natural bran these days in the grocery store.
Since I was craving a good bran muffin, I decided to use bran flakes instead. Know what I found out? I like them better this way.
They taste nutty, with the tangy sweet taste of dried cranberries, the mellow flavour of graham crumbs, and a hint of citrus from the orange extract.
They are more of a dense muffin, but still moist inside. The perfect bran and cranberry muffin for breakfast.
RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for these easy cranberry bran muffins can be found at the bottom of this post.
This Bran Muffin Recipe Needs:
- bran flakes cereal
- dried cranberries
- all-purpose flour
- graham cracker crumbs
- sour cream
- brown sugar
- oil – I used avocado but any cooking oil will work
- eggs
- orange extract
- salt
- baking powder
Typical muffin ingredients to make these old-fashioned bran muffins right at home.
Baking Cranberry Bran Flake Muffins
Super easy, and I even have some great suggestions below. Full instructions are in the recipe card.
You need to crush the bran flakes. I used a sandwich bag. Crush them with your hands and they are ready to use. You could also use a rolling pin.
Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine the two and fold in the dried cranberries.
Scoop the batter into a muffin tin. I like to line the tin with paper liners, but you can just use cooking spray. An ice cream scoop works great for transferring the batter to the muffin tin.
In about 20 minutes, you will have beautifully baked muffins. Transfer to a cooling rack. Be sure to eat one while it is still warm.
Suggestions / Recipe Tips
Dried cranberries can be replaced with blueberries, currants, raisins, or cherries.
Orange extract can be replaced with fresh orange zest.
Sour cream can be substituted with Greek yogurt.
Store in a container. They will keep for 3-4 days. Perfect for freezing as well.
FAQ
Yes, you can, but you will have to adjust the amount. 1 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries is equal to about ¾ cup of dried cranberries.
This is optional and a personal preference. Soaking will make them plump if that is the texture you are looking for.
Absolutely! If you are really interested in doing this, here is a great post on how to dry cranberries using an oven or dehydrator.
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Looking for more recipes with dried and fresh cranberries? Give these a try:
- Fresh Cranberry Sauce
- Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
- Holiday Croissants
- Homemade Holiday Granola
- Oatmeal Breakfast Donuts
Cranberry Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 ounces bran flakes
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400º F and line a muffin tin with paper liners (or you can just spray the pan with cooking spray if you prefer).
- Crush the bran flakes. I used a sandwich bag. Set aside.3 ounces bran flakes
- In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, graham crumbs, and crushed bran flakes.1 ½ cups all purpose flour, ½ cup graham cracker crumbs, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- In a small bowl combine the oil, eggs, sour cream and orange extract.½ cup sour cream, ⅓ cup avocado oil, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon orange extract
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine. Fold in the dried cranberries.½ cup dried cranberries
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Use a cake tester or toothpick to check for doneness.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Ramona
These look so delicious and I can’t wait to try them out
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
These have quickly become our favourite morning muffins.
Moop Brown
These muffins look tasty and I think the orange extract is a unique addition. Thanks for sharing.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
You are welcome. ENJOY!
Alex
I’ve never made muffins with graham cracker crumbs! I’m intrigued. It sounds magical and like something I should really try soon. Especially with the cranberries in there!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Well, I hope you give these cranberry bran muffins a try soon.
Erin
I have a bottle of avocado oil that’s just been sitting around. I should really try these! They sound so much better than the sugar-filled muffins I usually make.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I promise, you will not be disappointed with these cranberry bran flake muffins.
Jamie
Wow! This muffin recipe looks incredibly delicious! The crispy texture makes it so enticing and tempting! Kids will definitely love this!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
My grandkids love these muffins.
Danielle
Loved this recipe for Cranberry Bran Muffins. I followed the recipe to the T and wow! What a wonderful treat. And they freeze wonderfully
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Yes, this is the perfect batch muffin since they do freeze well.
Elizabeth
Just made a batch of these for the week and they’re so good! Perfect breakfast
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I cannot agree with you more. Muffins for breakfast are the best.
Wendy Rowe
Can you use fresh cranberries?
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
You can use fresh if you prefer, I would chop them, and since they will be more tart you might want to increase the amount of sugar a bit.
Silvia
My husband is a big fan of bran muffins for breakfasts and I like that I can make a batch and have them ready for a breakfast on the go. I loved the orange and cranberry together. Such a great combination!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
So glad you enjoyed these delicious cranberry bran muffins.