As we roll into winter, it just feels right to serve something warm and fresh from the oven. Don’t you agree? Simple to make from basic pantry ingredients, this really is the best cranberry muffin recipe around. It is sure to be a hit in your home as soon as the smell begins wafting through the kitchen. Find out more about what makes these muffins so good! Read on for the recipe and video link.
Muffins are a versatile treat.
Obviously breakfast is a great choice when enjoying these muffins with milk, but have you considered serving them alongside some hot tea as an afternoon snack for the kids? Make them part of an at-home Valentine’s date night treat tray with sparkling cider. Bundle them up in a basket with a sweet card and some hot cocoa packets and give them to a sick neighbor or even someone you know from church that could use a little encouragement right now.
Next, baking is a great way to exercise your heart and hands for service. Many times we see the practical use of our abilities and interests in the home without looking outside it for ways to serve others. We can be a blessing to someone else and send the gift of encouragement right into their life. A bit of encouragement is a gift that is certainly welcome in this dark, sinful world.
Serving others is also an avenue for loving your husband. As his wife your actions reflect either well or poorly on him as the leader of your home. For example, blessing others as you are able not only pleases the recipient, but it can also be an opportunity for you to show honor and respect to your husband as you serve him by serving others. This is similar to how we as Christians bring honor to God by being the hands and feet of Christ.
You are what make this the best cranberry muffin recipe.
Don’t limit yourself to how the recipe is presented. When you are ready to do something a little extra, go for it! For example, some of my best kitchen successes have been when I have added my own inspiration to a given recipe.
When you pull it up, add this incredibly simple recipe to your Homemaking Binder for easy reference when you are in the kitchen. Don’t have one yet? You can download a beautiful one for free right here. I’ve created it just for you to help make your life as a traditional homemaker a more beautiful life.
Here’s How to Make Cranberry muffins from scratch:
- Gather all of your ingredients together on the counter so you aren’t running back and forth to the refrigerator and pantry.
- Prepare your cranberries by chopping them and stirring in the sugar.
- Get your oven and pans ready.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine your wet ingredients.
- Use a larger bowl to place your dry ingredients in and stir them together to distribute. This is where you do your best mixing and stirring.
- Pour your wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir just well enough to combine, being careful not to over mix.
- Gently add the chopped berries and any juices to your batter stirring gently.
- Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake.
PRO TIP: Allow the muffin batter to sit and "activate" for just 5-10 minutes before filling your cups. You will likely see bubbles begin to form on the surface of the batter. This is also a good practice for pancake and waffle batter as well.
Variations for Your Best Cranberry Muffin Recipe
You probably did not go out and buy a bag of fresh cranberries just for use with this recipe. If you’re like me, you made a delicious Cranberry Salad for Thanksgiving and did not need the entire 16 oz bag. Maybe you found these hiding out in the freezer, either way use what you have. If you have a few oranges on the counter, grate off some fresh zest since you aren’t going to eat the peel anyway!
Follow the Rules
While cooking is an art, baking is really a science. Don’t go off the rails with extra flour, milk, etc. Successful baking relies on these ratios being precise. However, where you do have room for creative interpretation is with the fruit, the extract, and of course, the topping once they are baked. Muffins love a dunk in a swimming pool of melted butter, followed by a roll-around in a cinnamon-sugar beach!
Make Your Own Rules
You might substitute half of the cranberries with another berry and call them “Merry Berry Muffins” for Christmas. Maybe add in some diced candied oranges with the cranberries and voila, you have just made your very own Cranberry-Orange Muffins. What about a lovely dusting of coarse sugar just before baking to give the effect of ice crystals? Now you have Winter Wonderland Muffins, a new winter-time family tradition. Change out the vanilla extract for lemon extract. Yum!
My Best Cranberry Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- 1/4 Cup Butter, melted
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1/4 tsp Real Salt
- 3 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/3 Cup Sugar
- 2 Cup Flour
- 2 Tbs Sugar
- 1 Cup Cranberries Not Craisins
Instructions
- Coarsely chop the cranberries and place in a small bowl.
- Stir in 2T of Sugar and allow to sit for 30 mins.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt – dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl beat together milk, vanilla, melted butter, and eggs – wet ingredients.
- Add wet to dry ingredients and mix with a few folds, being careful to just blend together.
- Fold in cranberries and their juices, if any.
- Fill prepared muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 mins.
- Yields approximately 24 mini, 16 regular or 8 jumbo muffins.
Video
If you liked the sweet little mini muffin pans I used in my best cranberry muffin recipe video, you can find them here. We’ve used this USA Pan since 2014 and it is as good as new. They are proudly made in the USA from steel with a special coating of silicon which makes them release the good stuff every single time. There’s no toxic aluminum touching your food as it bakes and no fussy little paper liners to mess with. Don’t forget that as an Amazon Affiliate our family of 8 earns a small commission on qualifying purchases and you pay nothing extra! That’s what I call a win-win.
Finally, by following the rules of baking, we can always know what to expect from a recipe. Where you take it from there is entirely up to you in your home. Enjoy these freedoms as a homemaker. Use them as you create a life of truth, beauty, and goodness for yourself and your family.
Share with the other readers below your own inspiration for my best Cranberry Muffin recipe. How did you serve them?