Cranberry Nut Muffins

Cranberry Nut Muffins

Merry Christmas and a very Happy Healthy Holy New Year! This is my first blog post for 2012 and I am still in the Christmas spirit! Today is still Christmas on some of your calendars and I still have my tree up! Hubs gave me a new laptop as my big Christmas gift, he is just the most thoughtful wonderful person! Now I can blog anywhere in the world! I have one of those older brains, which takes me a while to figure out these new electronics, so please bear with me.This is why I haven't blogged in weeks, but I am excited to learn and hoping it will make my life easier! This is one of my favorite recipes for the holidays or anytime. I really love the taste of cranberries, tart and crisp the way the cranberry bursts in my mouth. It has such a clean healthful taste as it lingers on, fruity-fresh. I have made this recipe before as a bread and wanted to experiment as to how they would turn out as a muffin.My kids absolutely adore muffins, I had to shoo my daughter away just to do a photo shoot, before the muffins were all gobbled up.

I use the whole cranberries, not chopped so that the muffins are bursting with cranberry flavor. Please make sure the cranberries are completely cooled so that you don't have 3rd degree burns in your mouth like me...

I love how the cranberry muffins look with Lily's Roses!

Oh great! The Barbie muffin paper got in the shot- so professional- Right??

It's Christmas by the bay and unseasonably warm, but there are no complaints here from "The L. A. Girl"! I can get used to this Maine living...last I heard at the local donut shop is that we are going to be making up for it and it will be a "Wicked Snowy Wintah!!" OH-OH.... the word wicked and wintah is really scaring me....but wait...I can bake all day if I am snowed in..yippee!!



My favorite tugs.

I love our harbor, I am so lucky that I can walk here everyday!! I have counted my blessings for 2011 and am very excited for 2012. Happy New Year to you. Love, Nettie

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup orange or clementine juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 tablespoons Vegetable oil

1 egg, well beaten
1 1/2 cups Fresh or Frozen Cranberries ( I use whole cranberries)
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare muffin tins by placing muffin papers inside.If you are doing a photo shoot, leave the Barbie papers for personal use.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, oil and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Use an ice cream scooper and scoop batter into muffin papers.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Makes 18- 24 muffins, depending on size.  This recipe has been linked up with my favorite fabulous blogs!



Easy Cinnamon Pumpkin Cake Muffins

Because, it was 42 degrees this morning - in October- no way- yes way - I know, I was in shock too, especially after being in Boston this week with 75 degree weather! Because, it was so cold I was holding my tea mug just to get my hands warm. Because, it is fall and this happens in New England. Because, everywhere I turn I see pumpkins - subliminal food/baking advertising. Because, I am not making pumpkin pies until that wonderful day in November. Because, I am not ready to start raking, but rather baking. Because, I am not supposed to start every sentence with a preposition, that was drilled into my brain in parochial school. So I will not start off by saying because, just that I really want to turn on the oven and bake Easy Cinnamon Pumpkin Cake Muffins.

Easy Cinnamon Pumpkin Cake Muffins

I think that the word muffin is another word for cake. " Mommy, may I have a slice of cake for breakfast?" - No. " Mommy, may I have a muffin for breakfast?" - Sure go ahead, have two! Makes sense to me! So, these are Easy Cinnamon Pumpkin Cake Muffins. Or you can just tell yourself they are muffins.

Here is what you will need. Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin, vegetable oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, sugar and cinnamon. I used the large can of pumpkin and doubled the recipe. I usually double recipes and give baked goodies as gifts, my waistline is much happier about this. The recipe on this page is not doubled.

Mix Pumpkin, oil, eggs, sugar and pumpkin pie spice together with a whisk.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then add to wet mixture.

Mix dry mixture and wet mixture until just combined.

Use your favorite ice cream scooper and  place two scoops into muffin tins.

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of muffins before you place in oven to bake.

Bake for 25 minutes, insert a knife or toothpick to test if it is done, it should come out clean.

MMMMMM- warm- cinnamony- pumpkin perfection.

If you love pumpkin and cinnamon- you will love these- super moist and fluffy.

Pretty morning breakfast pumpkin muffins.

Ray's Chinese dragon peeking his head out of the foliage protecting our home. I think of my father in law every time I pass the dragon.

Pee Gee Hydrangeas. During the fall months, they start turning a beautiful shade of cream and rose.

Easy Cinnamon Pumpkin Cake Muffins


 Ingredients for Muffins

• 15 ounces solid packed pumpkin
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Sugar topping

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Method

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F. Place liners in muffin tins.
2. Blend with a whisk in a large bowl- pumpkin, oil, eggs,sugar and pumpkin spice. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix dry ingredients to pumpkin ingredients until just combined.
3. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar.
4. Use an ice cream scooper and place two scoops of batter in muffin tins. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake until puffy and golden brown and when inserting a knife or toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
5. Cool in pan on rack for five minutes, transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine and Smitten Kitchen.

Print now

Recipe blog hop on: Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sister's Stuff and Something Swanky, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, Muffin Monday, Joy of Desserts, Shine Your Light.

www.shineyourlightblog.com