These cranberry maple cornbread muffins are moist, tender, and only take 35 minutes to make. They're the perfect addition to a Thanksgiving or Christmas feast.
Preheat oven to 400 °F (204 °C) and line a muffin tin with liners.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, sugar, milk, oil and orange zest if using.
Make a well in the flour mixture and add in the wet mixture. Stir just until combined, then fold in the fresh cranberries.
Fill each muffin tin ¾ of the way full, then bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. These muffins will not brown a lot, so don’t be tempted to keep them in the oven for more than 20 minutes, otherwise they will dry out.
Notes
For the best texture, use room temperature eggs.
Don't overbake the muffins, as they can easily dry out.
Rotate the muffins halfway through.
To store, wrap the muffins in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer for 3 months.