These dark chocolate cranberry pistachio muffins are a delicious twist on an old classic. They're made with rich dark chocolate, tart cranberries, a pinch of freshly grated orange zest, and salty roasted pistachios. These delicious muffin cups are truly perfection!

Over the summer I visited a friend who served the most delicious muffins. When I complimented her, she said "I used your recipe - but swapped strawberries for cranberries and pistachios." The result was so delicious! I knew I wanted to recreate it when Autumn rolled around. I even added some dark chocolate and optional orange zest, the combination of all of the flavors are divine.

overhead shot of cranberry chocolate pistachio muffins in a vintage baking tin

WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

Incredibly soft and fluffy, but sturdy enough to pick up and eat with your hands
Gorgeous seasonal flavors
Easy to prepare with basic kitchen staples and no fancy equipment or ingredients
Perfect for cool mornings with a hot cup of tea or coffee

Ingredients and possible substitutions in dark chocolate cranberry pistachio muffins

Flour - all purpose flour, you can also use 1:1 gluten free flour, like this one.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda
Salt
Honey - you can sub another liquid sweetener, like maple syrup if needed.
Eggs
Cream cheese - you can use high fat greek yogurt if needed
Granulated Sugar - you can use coconut or date sugar if you need to keep it refined sugar free.
Butter
Milk - any liquid milk works here, except oat milk.
Add ins: dried cranberries, pistachios, dark chocolate, orange zest are all optional, you're the boss!

How to make dark chocolate cranberry pistachio muffins

Divide batter between each muffin cup, filling all the way to the top.

Now it's time to bake!

overhead process shot of pistachio cranberry muffin ingredients

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, honey, sugar, and eggs together until combined. Then whisk in the cream cheese, and milk.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until completely combined. Use a whisk to rid any large lumps of flour, if needed. Avoid overmixing. The batter will be thick.

overhead process shot of pistachio cranberry muffin ingredients- ingredients all folded into muffin batter

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overhead process shot, muffin batter in lined muffin tin

Divide batter between each muffin cup, filling all the way to the top.

Now it's time to bake!

45 degree angle shot of tall pistachio cranberry muffin fully baked

Baking notes

These muffins have tall, rounded tops, which is achieved by:

Using this thick batter and baking at a high temperature. This muffin is still nice and fluffy despite being tall and bakery style, so if you love a soft, airy muffin - you will love this one!
Baking the muffins for 8 minutes at a high temperature allows them to lift up. The temperature is then reduced the remaining time the muffins bake to allow them to bake completely without burning. They end up a nice golden brown, with a slightly crispy top.
We also fill our muffin tins all the way to the top while helps them achieve the size and rise we want!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE MUFFINS:

CAN I MAKE THESE MUFFINS GLUTEN FREE?

Yes you can swap out all purpose flower for your favorite 1:1 ratio gluten free flower. This recipe hasn’t been tested with other flours. Do not swap all purpose flour with almond or coconut flour.

CAN I MAKE THESE MUFFINS WITHOUT REFINED SUGAR?

Absolutely! Swap your granulated sugar for coconut or date sugar. You do not want to replace it with maple syrup or honey as it will be too much liquid in this recipe.

HOW CAN I STORE THESE MUFFINS?

Cover leftover muffins and store at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week. Muffins freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter.

The recipe