Chocolate cranberry muffins are an incredible blend of rich chocolate and tart cranberries, creating a perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess. These moist and flavorful muffins are so good you don’t want to miss them! Savor the magic of this irresistible combination that will keep you coming back for more. They are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a sweet afternoon snack. We hope you love these muffins as much as we do!
Why You Will Love Chocolate Cranberry Muffins
- You get the sweet and tart burst of cranberries in these muffins.
- These muffins have a rich and decadent chocolate flavor.
- They are easy to make and come together with simple pantry staples.
- Fresh cranberries shine in these muffins.
- Enjoy them for breakfast, dessert, or as a snack.
- They are great for meal prep!
What Are Chocolate Cranberry Muffins?
These are rich, decadent chocolate muffins with fresh cranberries folded in. The cranberries are pulsed so they are evenly distributed throughout the muffins. You get a burst of flavor from the cranberries in each muffin! The flavors of chocolate and cranberries complement each other and make for a delicious muffin.
Ingredients Needed For Cranberry Muffins
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour for these muffins.
- Cocoa Powder: Dutch-processed cocoa powder adds a decadent chocolate flavor.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Helps the muffins rise.
- Salt: To enhance the flavor.
- Eggs: Two eggs help the muffins come together.
- Sweetener: Sweeten these muffins with sugar or a 1:1 sugar replacement.
- Greek Yogurt: Use 0-fat Greek yogurt in this recipe.
- Vanilla: Add vanilla extract for flavor.
- Cranberries: Pulse fresh cranberries in a blender or food processor before folding them into the batter.
How To Make Chocolate Cranberry Muffins
Step 1: Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and mix.
Step 2: Add the eggs, sugar, 0-fat Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract to a separate large bowl. Thoroughly whisk so there are no lumps.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients a little at a time until combined.
Step 4: Add the cranberries to a high-powered blender or food processor. Then, pulse the cranberries.
Step 5: Add the pulsed cranberries to the muffin batter. Then, lightly fold them into the batter.
Step 6: Lightly spray a non-stick muffin pan with oil or use parchment muffin liners. Then, pour the batter into the muffin pan.
Step 7: Bake the muffins at 350°F for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Then, let them cool slightly and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Pulse The Cranberries: Pulse the fresh cranberries before folding them into the batter. Don’t blend them or emulsify them. Just pulse the cranberries.
- Use A Non-Stick Pan: Lightly spray your non-stick muffin pan with oil so the muffins don’t stick.
- Parchment Liners: If you don’t have a non-stick pan, use muffin liners. These parchment liners prevent the muffins from sticking to them.
- Measure The Flour Properly: Use 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour, which is 180 grams. To ensure you have the right amount of flour, weigh it on a food scale.
- Whisk The Wet Ingredients: Thoroughly whisk the wet ingredients so the wet ingredients are smooth and there are no lumps of Greek yogurt.
- Don’t Over-mix The Batter: Don’t over-mix the batter when combining the wet and dry ingredients. Also, lightly fold in the pulsed cranberries.
- If The Batter Is Too Thick: Depending on what yogurt you use, if the muffin batter is too thick, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk so you can mix the batter.
How To Store
Store these chocolate cranberry muffins at room temperature in an airtight container on the counter for 1-2 days. Or, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Also, you can freeze these muffins! Store them in freezer bags and freeze for 1-2 months. When you are ready to enjoy the muffins again, let them come to room temperature or warm them up in the oven. Defrost the frozen muffins in the oven before enjoying them.
Chocolate Cranberry Muffin Variations
- Mini Chocolate Chips: Add mini chocolate chips for a double chocolate flavor.
- White Chocolate: Fold some white chocolate chips into the muffin batter for a burst of white chocolate flavor.
- Chopped Nuts: You can fold chopped walnuts or pecans into the muffin batter.
- What Sweetener To Use: Sweeten these muffins with sugar or a 1:1 sugar-free granulated sugar replacement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Pulse The Cranberries?
Pulse the cranberries in a blender or food processor to evenly distribute them throughout the muffins. It ensures that the cranberries will cook and won’t be overpowering. Also, you don’t want the cranberries to sink to the bottom of the muffins. Pulsing them creates the perfect amount of cranberry flavor in each muffin.
How Many Cranberries To Use?
Use ten ounces of fresh cranberries, not dried cranberries, for this recipe. It is about 3 cups of cranberries. You taste the cranberries in each bite. Pulse the cranberries before folding them in.
Can I Use Dried Cranberries?
You can use dried cranberries instead. However, the flavor and texture will be different than if you use fresh cranberries. We recommend finely chopping the dried cranberries. If your dried cranberries are unsweetened, use the same amount of sweetener in this recipe. If they are sweetened, reduce the amount of sweetener for this recipe to 1 cup instead of 1 cup and 1 tablespoon.
How Long Do Chocolate Cranberry Muffins Last?
These chocolate cranberry muffins will last 1-2 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature on the counter. They will last up to four days in the refrigerator.
Can I Freeze These Muffins?
Yes, you can freeze these muffins! Let them cool, and then place them in freezer-safe bags. Freeze them for up to two months.
More Recipes To Try Next!
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Blueberry Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Dark Chocolate Hummus
If you try this recipe please be sure to leave us a comment and star rating ★★★★★ letting us know how it turns out for you. We hope you enjoy these chocolate cranberry muffins!
CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY MUFFINS
12
servings15
minutes22
minutes77
kcalChocolate cranberry muffins are an incredible blend of rich chocolate and tart cranberries, creating a perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess.
Ingredients
1 ½ CUPS all-purpose flour
1/3 CUP Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 CUP and 1 tablespoon sugar or 1:1 sugar replacement
1/2 CUP 0-fat Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 CUP milk, optional if batter is too thick
10 oz fresh cranberries (approximately 3 CUPS)
Directions
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl. Mix these dry ingredients.
- Add the eggs, sugar, 0-fat Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract to a separate large bowl. Thoroughly whisk and make sure there are no lumps of yogurt.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients a little at a time. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, but don’t over-mix. If the muffin batter is too thick because of the yogurt you are using, add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of milk if needed so you can mix the batter.
- Add the fresh cranberries to a high-powered blender or food processor. Then, pulse the cranberries. Don’t blend or emulsify them, just pulse them.
- Lightly fold the pulsed cranberries into the muffin batter.
- Lightly spray a non-stick muffin pan with oil or use muffin liners. Then, pour the batter into the muffin pan to form 12 muffins.
- Bake the muffins at 350°F for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean from the center. Once cooked, let the muffins slightly cool and enjoy!
Equipment
Dutch-Processed Cocoa PowderBuy It Here- Silicone Non-Stick Muffin PanBuy It Here
- Parchment Muffin LinersBuy It Here
Recipe Video
Notes
- Store leftover chocolate cranberry muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days. Or, store them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Also, you can freeze them for up to 2 months.
- The WW points and calories are based on using a sugar-free sweetener.
- WW Points™: 2 points per muffin *if you use a sugar-free sweetener
- To see your WW Points™ in the WW app for this recipe click here! Or, please manually add the ingredients to the recipe builder.
- Nutritional information is provided as a reference, using an online calculator. We recommend verifying the information independently. It could vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used.
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Nutrition Facts
12 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories77
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
1.2g
2%
- Saturated Fat 0.4g 0%
- Cholesterol 28mg 10%
- Sodium 164mg 7%
- Total Carbohydrate
12.8g
4%
- Dietary Fiber 1.6g 4%
- Sugars 1.1g
- Protein 3.6g 6%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Do you think this will work with dried cranberries? I know the points will differ.
Yes, it will absolutely work with dried cranberries. The flavor will be slightly different because the dried cranberries are usually sweetened and won’t be as tart. These muffins will still definitely be delicious. We also like to finely chop dried cranberries to evenly distribute them so you get cranberries in each bite. If you use sweetened dried cranberries, use 1 cup of sweetener instead of 1 cup and 1 tablespoon. If you use unsweetened dried cranberries, leave the sweetener at 1 cup and 1 tablespoon. I hope you enjoy these muffins!
I made this recipe exactly as listed but I could not even stir the batter. I needed to add 3/4 cup of almond milk. Was that missing in the recipe?
Hello, I am so sorry that you were unable to stir the batter. We did not use any almond milk. For the liquid components, we used 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of 0-fat Greek yogurt. I’m not sure why your muffin batter was so thick. I’m glad you thought to add almond milk, how did it work out?
I had the same issue, it was big lumpy pieces of barely mixed dough. Maybe it depends on the yogurt brand?
Hi Liz, I am sorry that you had the same problem with the batter. Yes, it probably depends on the yogurt brand. We have updated the recipe card so that if the dough is too thick, to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk to make it the ideal consistency to mix the batter. I hope this helps!
Has this been tried without the chocolate? I was think without chocolate and adding cinnamon. I saw a video of the chocolate muffin and the texture looked perfect. I am tired of rubbery diet muffins.
Hi Rebecca, that variation of these muffins sounds delicious. However, we have not tried it. I would recommend that you replace the cocoa powder with 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. To balance the dry ingredients, add 2–3 extra tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Everything else in the recipe stays the same! Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
Thank you for getting back to me. It worked out great. They are delicious. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
I am so glad they worked out! Thank you so much for the support!
Could I use cottage cheese instead of yogurt?
Hi Jeanne, I love your idea of using cottage cheese in place of the Greek yogurt in the chocolate cranberry muffins! I haven’t tested it, but I’d suggest swapping them one for one. If the batter ends up a bit too thick, you can always add a splash of milk to adjust the consistency. I hope you enjoy the muffins, let us know if you make them!