Spiced Cranberry Muffins

 

I don't know how I never saw this muffin recipe before in my perusal of this cookbook {a wedding shower gift from my grandma} but now that I've found it I will not be forgetting it!
The method is different from most muffin recipes, as you boil the liquids then add the dry ingredients but I think that creates the most interesting texture. Even though you have to wait a short time for the liquids to cool down these muffins still don't take too long to make. And, bonus, there's no egg so it's a perfect recipe when eggs are running low in the house {or am I the only person that struggles with that?}

Spiced Cranberry Muffins
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Yields: 12 muffins
Adapted from: St Paul's Lutheran Church, Fairmont, MN Cookbook

Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
   1.  In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cranberries, water, butter, applesauce, cinnamon and cloves; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool in fridge for ~10 minutes.
   2.  After 10 minutes, add flours, baking soda and salt; stir until just combined.
   3.  Fill 12 muffin cups; bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

I love this recipe for a few reasons. 1) It's delicious! The muffins are moist without being sticky and the flavor is amazing. 2) Without having to double the recipe it makes a lot of muffins; it's nice to put the extras in the freezer. 3) Unlike some recipes it uses a whole can of pumpkin so you don't have to figure out what to do with the leftovers.

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
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Yields: 24-30 muffins
Source: Ocean Spray

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 T + 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
15 oz can pumpkin
2 eggs
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup juice (I've used apple and pineapple)
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
   1.  Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add pumpkin, eggs, banana, oil, applesauce and juice; mix until just moistened. Gently fold in cranberries.
   2.  Fill muffin tins; bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

We actually had muffins from the original recipe quite some time ago and must have enjoyed them because I put the recipe on a card in my box. However, recently when I went to make the muffins I didn't have enough butter on hand to make the topping as directed. Instead I used applesauce and discovered a delicious combination. The small amount of applesauce called for brings a large flavor to the muffins. These are a perfect fall muffin, especially if you're short on butter or apples.

Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
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Adapted from: Happy in Dole Valley  
Yields: 12 muffins
Muffins
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
Topping
1 1/2 T applesauce
2 T flour
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
   1.  Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients; mix until just moistened. Fill 12 muffin cups.
   2.  In a small bowl mix topping ingredients; divide topping among muffins, gently spread.
   3.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Banana Muffins

This is easily my go-to muffin recipe. We always have bananas on hand which means we often have super soft bananas on hand. The finished muffin always turns out so moist which is definitely something we all enjoy in our muffins.
If I don't get to it, or simply don't need to make them right away, I'll take three bananas, mash them and then freeze them. This makes it even easier to put these muffins together the next time!

Banana Muffins
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Yields: 12+ muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar (I typically use slightly less and they turn out fine)
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 1/2 T buttermilk (I always make it from milk and lemon juice, measuring it before I start mixing everything else and adding it at the end.)
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed (If my bananas aren't super ripe I put them in the oven (still in the peel) while it preheats during mixing. By the time I'm ready for the bananas they're soft and ready.)

Directions:
   1.  Preheat oven to 350. Grease 12 cup muffin tin.
   2.  Mix in order given.
   3.  Pour into prepared pan, filling about 2/3 full. (If there is leftover batter, I pour it into a loaf pan.)
   4.  Bake 18-20 minutes, using a knife or toothpick to check when they are done (insert knife or toothpick into center of muffin, should pull out with little or no wet crumbs).  

Sweet Potato Muffins

These muffins have quickly moved to the top of our list for muffins. There is just something about them that is absolutely wonderful. Technically, they would probably make an excellent fall muffin but we've been loving them in the summer as well! My only complaint is I'm out of sweet potato puree so no more of these for us for a while.
These muffins are no harder to put together than any other muffin. The only possible additional step is the topping but don't skip the topping! It really adds to the muffins and since I eliminated the butter and extra sugar when I modified it from the original recipe I don't feel it's too unhealthy. :)

Sweet Potato Muffins
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Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients:
Muffins
1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
Topping
2 T oats
1 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger

Directions:
   1.  Preheat oven to 350.
   2.  In a large bowl, combine flours, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda. Add eggs, sweet potatoes, water and oil; mix just until moistened.
   3. Fill muffin cups, dividing batter evenly among 12 cups.
   4.  In a small bowl combine topping ingredients. Spoon 1 T of topping over each muffin; gently press down with back of spoon.
   5.  Bake at 350 for 18 minutes or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean.

Adapted from: Taste of Home 

This is linked to Tasty Tuesday and URS.

Butterscotch Bran Muffins

The original recipe calls for raisins which I don't have right now. I always mean to buy some but always forget. Anyway, I knew that I wanted to substitute something for the raisins. My first thought was chocolate chips but when I looked in the cupboard I had two bags of butterscotch chips and two bags of white chocolate chips but no chocolate chips. So butterscotch chips ended up being the substitute for the substitute and with great results! My husband and I decided that they worked really well. One of these muffins makes a quick, filling, hearty breakfast.
The recipe is like a typical muffin recipe with the addition of one 5 minute rest time in the middle. My daughter and I used the time to brush our teeth. I tried lighting spraying my muffin tin bottom as recommended in the cook book. It worked great but didn't make it too greasy, a problem I've occasionally run into.

Butterscotch Bran Muffins
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Yields: 15 muffins

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups All-Bran Original cereal (twig shaped bran)
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 T molasses
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
6 T butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups sour cream
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:
   1.  Preheat oven to 400. Lightly spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
   2.  Grind half of the bran cereal in a food processor until finely ground.
   3.  In a large bowl whisk sugar, molasses, egg, egg yolk and vanilla until thick. Add melted butter, sour cream and processed and unprocessed bran cereal and stir until combined. Let rest until cereal is moistened, about 5 minutes.
   4.  Add flours, baking soda, and salt to cereal mixture. Fold gently until just combined. Fold in butterscotch chips.
   5.  Fill muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 400 for 16-20 minutes or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins cool in tin for 5 minutes and then remove.

Adapted from: The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

This is linked to Tasty Tuesday, Good Cheap Eats and URS.