Eggnog Cranberry Muffins

Festive holiday eggnog cranberry muffins are laced with tart cranberries, eggnog and topped with a sweet brown sugar streusel topping.

I found myself wide awake at five-thirty last Saturday morning. Why is it on a school day, I’m dragging myself out of bed at the sound of my alarm. But on a weekend, when I have no place in particular to be, I’m awake before the sun?

I quietly climbed out of bed and shut the bedroom door so The Husband could sleep. I turned on some lamps and turned up the heat to take the chill off the house.  Then I plugged in our Christmas tree, turned on some Christmas music, and started a pot of coffee.

I began pulling bottles out of the fridge, mixing bowls out of the cabinets, and dry ingredients from the pantry.  By the time the sun began to peek its sleepy head over the tree line, these Eggnog Cranberry Muffins were coming out of the oven.

Start with the Streusel Topping

My favorite part of the these sweet, tender muffins is the crumbly streusel topping. It’s nothing more than flour, butter, and sugar, but it makes all the difference. This streusel can also be used on top of breads, pies, and cakes.

Before you get started, melt two tablespoons of butter in the microwave.

In a small bowl, combine combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon and the melted butter. Stir everything together until it is combined. Then set the steusel aside.

How to Make Eggnog Cranberry Muffins

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners or spray with cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients. Combine 2 cups of flour,

Using a stand or handheld mixer, combine the wet ingredients just until they are combined. Turn the mixer speed to low, then gradually add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, and mix just until the flour mixture is moistened.

Combine one cup of fresh or frozen cranberries with one tablespoon of flour. Stir until cranberries are coated with the flour. This is going to prevent our cranberries from sinking straight to the bottom of our muffin batter after we add them. Gently fold in the cranberries into the batter. Folding just means we are mixing the cranberries in by hand rather than using a mixer. We do this to keep the cranberries in tact during mixing.

Once you’e mixed your batter, fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full. These muffins will rise during baking, so overfilling your cups will cause the batter to spill over. Once you’ve filled all the muffin cups, sprinkle the top of each with the streusel topping.

Bake the cranberry muffins for for 20 – 25 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for five minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack.

Storing Eggnog Cranberry Muffins

Cooled muffins can be stored in a plastic container with a lid or resealable plastic bag at room temperature for up to three days. If you store them i the fridge, you might be able to extend their shelf life to a week, but they may start the lose their soft texture by day seven.

Baked and cooled muffins can be stored in the freezer for up to a year. I advise that you wrap each muffin individually with plastic wrap before freezing to prevent freezer burn.

Eggnog cranberry muffins are perfect with hot coffee on a chilly morning or with hot tea or cocoa as an afternoon snack. The addition of the eggnog and cranberries give these muffins a festive touch, while the streusel topping adds crunchy texture.

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5 from 5 votes

Eggnog Cranberry Muffins

Festive holiday eggnog cranberry muffins are laced with tart cranberries, eggnog and topped with a sweet brown sugar streusel topping.

Course Baked Goods

Cuisine American

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 1 dozen

Calories 429kcal

Author Lisa B.

Ingredients

For the streusel topping:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

For the muffins:

• 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour divided
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup eggnog
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake liners or spray with cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the streusel topping. Set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• In a separate, larger mixing bowl, combine eggnog, oil, and egg. Beat at medium high heat until combined.
• Reduce mixer speed to low. Add dry ingredients and mix just until flour is moistened.
• Combine cranberries and the remaining tablespoons of flour. Stir until cranberries are coated with the flour. Gently fold in the cranberries into the batter.
• Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full. Sprinkle the top of each with the streusel topping
• Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 7.8g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5.5g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 309mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 2.7g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Vitamin C: 6.6mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 2.5mg