#CRANBERRY_MUFFINS

[helenfletcher]

This Cranberry Muffins Recipe is quick to make, celebrates the season with their vibrant color and tart taste. While thought of mostly in the fall and around Thanksgiving, this fruit can be used in its frozen form to great advantage as in this recipe. Frozen cranberries are used in this recipe to keep them from coloring the muffins gray and to keep them in large pieces. A 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries can be frozen until hard or they can be bought frozen. A quick look around my blog and you'll see cranberry recipes abound. From cranberry curd in the Chocolate Cranberry Curd Tart, to Chocolate Cranberry Quick Bread, the not to be missed Cranberry Fresh Pineapple Relish, the refreshingly light Orange Cranberry Cake, as well as the frozen Riene de Saba Cake with Candied Cranberries and the Cranberry Orange Muffins. A Little About Cranberries Cranberries are older than the recorded history of America. Indians ate them as well as using them for medicine and clothing dye. While they are often seen in water, they do not grow in water. They grow very close to the ground which needs to be sandy, acidic soil with a high water table which is called a bog. Cranberries are harvested by flooding the bogs, where the berries are separated from the vines and float to the top of the water. Pumps and conveyors send the berries into trucks to be transported for processing. In 1917, Elizabeth Lee, a cranberry farmer sold her canned sauce under the name "Bog Sweet." Later, she joined forces with Marcus Urann of Massachusetts who had started his company in 1912. Together they formed the company that became known as Ocean Spray. Today this is the largest cranberry growers organization in the United States. There are several interesting articles on cranberries including, The Cranberry Story , Cranberry Facts, and Where Tradition Meets Innovation, Recipe Ingredients Topping Nutmeg, granulated sugar Cranberry Muffins FRONT ROW: Salt, baking powder, vanilla paste MIDDLE ROW: Eggs, butter, granulted sugar BACK ROW: All-purpose flour, frozen cranberries, milk Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients & instructions. Step by Step Instructions Step 1. Combine the sugar and nutmeg. Set aside. Step 2. Place the softened butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Cream them until light. Step 3. Add the vanilla paste. Step 4. Beat together until completely mixed. Step 5. Add the eggs to the batter. Step 6. Beat until combined on medium speed. If the mixture curdles, which is might, raise the speed to high and beat until mixed. If is remains curdled, don't worry about it. It will be corrected in the next step. See my article How to Avoid Curdled Cake Batter for more information. Step 7. Add the first of the alternating flour and milk.I ususally add 3 portions of flour to 2 portions of milk. Always start and end with flour to prevent curdling. Step 8. Beat on low to mix. Step 9. Add the first of the alternating milk. Beat on low to mix. Step 10. Continue with two more portions of flour to one more of milk. Step 11. Put the frozen berries in the processor bowl. Step 12. Use long pulses to coarsely chop them. They will make a terrible racket. Step13. Pour the chopped cranberries into the batter. Step 14. Mix on low, scraping well to distribute the cranberries. Step 15. Fill the paper muffin liners almost to the top. Step 16. Bake as directed, cool on a cooling rack. Recipe FAQS Where do cranberries grow? A common misunderstanding is that cranberries grown in water. They do not. They grow on vines close to the ground in sandy, acidic soil that has a high water table known as a bog. When it is time to harvest them, the bog is flooded, the berries are freed from their vines and float to the top of the water where they are gathered and taken away for production. Are cranberries considered healthy? Yes. They are high in antioxidents and lower risk of urinary tract infection (UTI), the prevention of certain types of cancer, improved immune function, and decreased blood pressure.

What do you cook or bake with cranberries? Cranberries are used for relishes, chutneys, sauces in quick breads, preserves, stuffings, in salads, stuffings with pork and chicken, cranberry crisps, muffins, cakes, drinks, cheesecakes, pies, tarts, bars, cookies, coffeecakes and more. Expert Tips The softened butter should be about 75°F to blend well with the sugar. The cranberries need to be frozen hard before processing.  Use immediately, do not let them thaw.  The batter will be very cold and firm.  When filling the cups, press the batter down into them to make sure they are filled well.  Fill almost to the top. Bake them immediately so the cranberries do not start to melt. More Delectable Cranberry Recipes If you love these Cranberry Muffins, It would be hugely helpful and so appreciated it if you would take a moment to leave a rating below. Thank you. Cranberry Muffins Recipe These Cranberry Muffins are a quickly made treat for anytime of the day. Tart and vibrantly red cranberris give a boost of flavor to this tender muffin. 2 12 well regular size muffin tins OR2 6 well Jumbo muffin tins Topping3 tablespoons granulated sugar (40 grams)1 teaspoon nutmegCranberry Muffins 12 ounces cranberries, fresh or frozen1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)2 large eggs2 cups all-purpose flour (280 grams)2 teaspoons baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt1/2 cup milk1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract ToppingThe cranberries should be picked over to remove any less than good ones. It is easiest to do this on a rimmed baking sheet so they don't roll away. Freeze the until hard. Cranberry MuffinsPreheat the oven to 375°F. Line cupcake wells with paper liners. Set aside.Cream the sugar and butter together until light, scraping down as necessary.Add the vanilla paste or extract, blending well.Add the eggs, beating until combined. The mixture may curdle but this will be taken care of in the next step. In the meantime, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour and milk alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Three flour and two milk additions are fine. Place the frozen cranberries in the bowl of a processor. Pulse to chop them coarsely. Add them to the batter and mix just until combined. The batter will be very firm and cold at this point. Fill the paper cups almost to the top, pressing the batter down to make sure they are filled well. Bake the regular size muffins for about 15 to 18 to minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Bake the Jumbo muffins for 24 to 26 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool about 5 minutes in the pans, then turn them out to finish cooking on a rack. Yield: 15 to 16 regular size muffins or 9 to 10 Jumbo muffins. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage. Thaw at room temperature. There is always an abundance of photos to guide you in the post above. As always, I recommend using a scale for accuracy and consistency.  Flour, in particular, is difficult to measure by volume.  For my recipes, I use 140 grams per cup of unsifted  all-purpose, bread or whole wheat flour and 125 grams of cake flour. Others may use different weights so use whatever they suggest. ____________________________________________________ The softened butter should be about 75°F to blend well with the sugar. The cranberries need to be frozen hard before processing.  Use immediately, do not let them thaw.  The batter will be very cold and firm.  When filling the cups, press the batter down into them to make sure they are filled well.  Fill almost to the top. Bake them immediately so the cranberries do not start to melt. Cranberry Muffins, Easy to make, MuffinsAmericancranberry muffins, easy to make, muffins

[helenfletcher]

These Cranberry Orange Muffins are a variation of the Cranberry Vanilla Muffins which are equally good. Cranberries team up well with other fruits especially orange and nowhere better than in these muffins. One of my most favorite things about Fall is cranberries arriving around the middle of October and this is a perfect recipe to use them in. Other recipes featuring cranberries on my blog you might want to try are, Cranapple PIe, Chocolate Cranberry Curd Tart and Cranberry Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake. From Left to Right. Back Row: All-purpose flour, cranberries. Middle Row: Butter, eggs, granulated sugar, milk. Front Row: orange zest, baking powder, vanilla extract, almond extract, salt. Ingredients Cranberries can be fresh or frozen. If fresh are used, freeze them until hard.Milk can be whole or 2%.Eggs are size large.Orange Zest. A microplaner is best for obtaining the zest. A medium to large orange will yield the amount needed. Butter can be salted or unsalted for this recipe. Instructions Step 1. Butter and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl. Step 2. The butter and sugar creamed together. Step 3. The vanilla and almond extracts along with the orange zest are added to the creamed mixture. Step 4. The extracts and zest added to the creamed mixture. Step 5. One egg at a time is beaten into the batter. Step 6. After both eggs are added the batter will most likely look curdled. That will be fixed in the next step. Step 7. The baking powder and salt to be mixed with the flour. Step 8. The first third of flour added to the mixing bowl. The flour will be added alternately with the milk. Step 9. The first third of the flour mixed in. Step 10. The first half of the milk added. Step 11. The finished batter after 3 additions of flour alternating with 2 of milk. Step 12. The frozen cranberries are placed inside a food processor. Step 13. The frozen cranberries are pulsed in the processor to make smaller pieces. Step 14. The cranberries are added to the batter in the mixing bowl. Step 15. The muffins are filled 3/4 full. This applies to either the mini, regular or Texas size muffins. Step 16. Sanding sugar is sprinkled liberally on top to add a bit of crunch. Variations The number of muffins will increase if adding either of these. 2 cups of Mini chocolate chips can be added. Chocolate, cranberries and orange are a great combination.1 cup of andy coarsely chopped nuts can be added. For extra flavor toast the nuts at 350°F for 7 to 10 minutes depending upon the nut. Cool before chopping. Storage These muffins can be stored for several days at room temperature or frozen for longer storage. Thaw at room temperature. Top Tips Freezing the cranberries before adding them to the batter keeps the batter from turning that dreaded gray color from fruit juices. Chopping them in the food processor and immediately adding them to the batter and filling the muffin tins keeps the color vibrant and inviting. To use or not to use paper liners? The muffins bake up softer and stay more moist if paper liners are used. If they are baked directly in sprayed pans, they brown much faster and the outside of the muffins are sturdier.