Very Berry Holiday Muffins

I’m a cranberry fan and have been for as long as I can remember. I find their tanginess incredibly appealing and of course, when Thanksgiving rolls around, we tend to think of cranberry sauce. I do love the sauce and have an excellent homemade version but I decided that it would be nice to do something a bit different. I find that blueberries help to tame the tang and decided to go with holiday muffins incorporating both berries instead. They have a little sparkle on top from a bit of demerara (raw) sugar which I sprinkle on before baking and if you wanna have some fun with it, you could always use some colored sugar, but I digress.

These can be served at dinner as a side, or a dessert, are great for breakfast or a snack and the sweet with the tang will make your inner war of should I have just one more? a vicious one 🙂 be strong. I have both orange and lemon peel in there and it adds so much flavor that I really recommend both. Although the scent from the oven will make you want to snatch one up right away and gobble it up, they are better when you’ve let them cool to warm since the outer muffin crisps up and that is to be desired.

One more note. Often there are people who look to cut the sugar in recipes. Fair warning. Do NOT do that here or you will ruin your muffins. The cranberries will be too sharp without the correct amount of sugar to offset them and too bad. Also, do use the full amount of spices which turn these from just another muffin to holiday worthy.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. You will lower it after 5 minutes to 375 but you need the heat to make the muffins “dome up” nicely. Start with a big bowl for the dry ingredients. And we are adding that bit of extra spice since the cranberries demand it!

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk/soy milk, melted butter/marg and lastly the grated orange/lemon peel. I find that the combo of both grated peels adds a tremendous punch of flavor. Beat till combined.

If using frozen berries, only take them out of the freezer now since you want them frozen till mixed into the final batter. Just squeeze them right in the bag to break them up if need be.

Now stir the liquid ingredients into the dry and whisk till combined but do NOT overbeat or they will be tough. Just till mixed.

Fold in the berries with a spoon. No need to flour them since the batter is very thick and they stay nicely suspended.

Don’t they look like little jewels? I used a cup and a half this time.

Using an ice cream scooper, scoop into well greased muffin tins evenly. You should have enough batter for about 15-16 muffins. One more important tip – make sure to grease the top of the muffin tin, not just the wells i.e. in between – this is to prevent the domed part from sticking to the pan and making it easier to remove the muffins after baking.

Sprinkle with the raw sugar (or regular or colored for fun) lightly just to give some sparkle and place in the preheated oven. Bake, cool on wire racks and remove carefully after about 5 minutes to finish cooling directly on racks which gives the muffins a nice crisp exterior. This is just me but have this with a cranberry vodka cocktail with a slice of orange and feel the holiday spirit!

Very Berry Holiday Muffins

3 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground powdered ginger
2 large eggs
1 cup milk/soy milk
1/2 cup melted butter/margarine – by this I mean take 1/2 a cup and then melt it
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon or orange peel or a combo, which is what I use and it’s really nice
1 1/2- 2 cups cups mixed blueberries and cranberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do NOT defrost)
Demerara sugar (raw sugar OR turbinado sugar) for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a big bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and powdered ginger. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk/soy milk, melted butter/marg and when well combined, the grated peel. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl of the dry ingredients and stir till combined, do not overmix. Then fold the berries into the batter which is very thick. Heavily grease a muffin tin on top and in the wells and a few individual muffin tins (you should have enough batter for 15-16 muffins) and scoop evenly into the muffin cups. Sprinkle lightly with the sugar, not a heavy covering, just a sprinkle. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes (don’t walk away!!) and lower heat to 375 and bake for between 13-16 more minutes till nicely browned. Generally, mine bake for 18-19 minutes all told but if your oven runs hot or cold adjust accordingly. Try not to overbake, it’s a shame to dry them out. Definitely check after 18 minutes (all together) if still a bit wet, give it another minute or two. Let cool on wire rack for about 5 minutes and then gently remove and let cool directly on the wire rack to let them crisp up a bit.