Cranberry Orange Muffins
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AYURVEDIC COOKING TAKES A BALANCED, HEALING APPROACH FOR YOUR DAILY COOKING NEEDS. YOU WILL FIND SIMPLE, EASY TO MAKE NOURISHING MEALS I HAVE MADE FOR MY FAMILY, WITH A DOSE OF AYURVEDA & YOGA WISDOM.
Thanksgiving Reflections & A Special Muffin Recipe
On this Thanksgiving weekend of gatherings, we pause to celebrate life, family, and loved ones—with full hearts and deep gratitude. I am reminded that there is truly a time for everything, as The Byrds so beautifully sang in their reflective song, Turn, Turn, Turn.
With thanks and a joyful heart, I’m delighted to share this special recipe with you—one I learned from my SV Ayurveda friends. This Cranberry Orange Muffin is absolutely scrumptious: light, zesty, and naturally sweet, with a warm, spicy aroma and the perfect balance of tart cranberries and fragrant orange zest.
If you’ve followed my blog, you may have noticed the influence of Ayurveda in many of my recipes. Ayurveda—one of the world’s oldest holistic health systems—has gifted me and my family a wealth of knowledge to maintain and improve our health, immunity, and overall well-being. Ayu means life, and Veda means knowledge or science. Together, they offer a timeless path to vibrant living.
As my little guy so perfectly put it, this is “a really awesome muffin!” One to treasure and add to your recipe collection—a pure Ayurvedic delight. I am forever grateful to my Ayurvedic teacher, Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra, for preserving the purity of Ayurveda while thoughtfully adapting its application to suit our modern lives.
With a crunchy top and a mildly zesty, light, and moist crumb, this muffin offers the perfect blend of warming spices—just right for the fall season. Cranberries, rich in antioxidants and low on the glycemic index, bring a natural tartness while helping to keep your blood sugar levels steady.
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Makes 6 muffins
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 25-30 minutes
IngredientS
1 cup whole grain flour- this batch is with red fife wheat flour
⅓ cup sucanat cane sugar
¼ cup blanched almonds, chopped or slivered
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder (aluminum free)
¼ tsp soma salt or natural salt
½ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground cardamom
A pinch nutmeg
A pinch ground black peppercorns
A pinch chopped ginger
¼ cup melted ghee
½ cup fresh squeezed tangerine juice
1 Tablespoon fresh tangerine peel
¾ cup fresh cranberries, chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, almonds, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
Wash and zest the tangerines, then juice them to yield ½ cup of fresh juice.
Melt the ghee. Use a small amount to grease the muffin pan, or line with muffin cups.
Add the wet ingredients (tangerine juice, zest, melted ghee) and the chopped cranberries to the dry mix. Stir until just combined. The batter will be thick.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan.
Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
Enjoy!
Ghee- butter that has been clarified to remove milk solids; traditional ghee is made with fresh cultured butter at a low temperature and has probiotic benefits. Read more about the health benefits of ghee.
Substitutions:
To blanche your own almonds- soak raw almonds overnight and peel the next day
For gluten-free, substitute 70-30 ratio buckwheat-sorghum flours combined with 1 Tablespoon arrowroot flour
Substitute tangerine juice or peel with orange
Substitute spices for a spice mix called Madhur Masala from Chandika.
This batch is made with red fife wheat flour, a heritage grain from Scotland brought to Canada in the 1850s.