Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
Everywhere I look these days, all I see is pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin pasta, pumpkin soup, even pumpkin oatmeal. It’s a lot… especially for someone who’s not a big pumpkin fan. I know… I know… I may be appalling some of my readers with that statement, but it’s true. I just don’t understand everyone’s fascination with the orange gourd. I mean, just because it’s available doesn’t mean it has to be incorporated into every. Single. Recipe. When our parents were growing up they weren’t drinking pumpkin spice lattes or pumpkin flavored cocktails, were they? There were pumpkin pies and maybe some pumpkin side dishes or main courses, but it definitely wasn’t what it is today.
That said, there are a couple places I like to use pumpkin: pie and baked goods. I love a good pumpkin bread, especially if it has chocolate or cranberries or both in it. I also like pumpkin muffins because they’re really just mini-pumpkin breads. You’re probably wondering why I’m such a fan of the baked goods if I’m not a pumpkin fan. Well, I think it’s because of all the yummy fall spices that are usually included. Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Spices I love using this time of year in everything from cakes to chicken dishes to cocktails.
It’s actually those spices that make these breakfast bites so delicious. They not only pack the muffins with a serious autumn punch, they also enhance the tart cranberries. See, I love a good cranberry. I love them so much, in fact, that I always buy an extra bag or two to keep in my freezer so I can use them all year long. The cinnamon enhances those cranberries, making that tartness I love so much really pop, while adding a nice spice to the overall flavor of the muffin.
It’s that combination of spices, cranberries and pumpkin that make these a wonderful breakfast treat. A breakfast treat that almost makes me love pumpkin as much as everyone else out there. A treat that’s perfect for this time of year and will be scrumptious well into December.
Notes
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
Ingredients
- 2-3/4 cups flour, divided
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, divided
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup cranberries
- 2 tablespoons oats
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
Instructions
Make the muffins:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
- Sift 2-1/2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, half a teaspoon of cinnamon and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
- In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, pumpkin and vanilla and set aside.
- Beat 1 stick of butter with 1/2 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until combined.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately and beat until just combined. Fold in the cranberries.
- Spoon the batter into prepared muffin tin.
Make the streusel topping:
- In a small bowl use your fingers to combine the rolled oats, almonds, remaining flour, butter and cinnamon. Sprinkle the streusel over the muffins.
- Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean. Let cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes, then serve.
