Cranberry-Buttermilk Muffins

I love muffins! Not the overly sweet, dense, and loaded-with-fat kind you can buy premade that everyone thinks are healthy, but are most often worse for you than donuts. I like a good old fashioned muffin (or scone)—not too sweet, warm, with a nice crust on the outside and a light crumb inside. I think they are best eaten warm, sometimes with a little butter, a nice cup of tea, a side of bacon or sausage for a little saltiness, and some fresh fruit. I have cooked many breakfast and brunch items, but that is just my all time favorite morning meal.


I have a few muffin cookbooks, but my favorite by far is The Ultimate Muffin Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. I think I have made more recipes from that book than from most of the others cookbooks I have combined. Graham cracker muffins with a little core of peanut butter or jelly, fresh peach muffins (truly there has not been a peach worthy of making these since moving to VT), carrot and raisin, and peanut butter muffins are the ones we eat time and again. I can't recommend the cookbook more highly if you are a muffin lover like me. 


This recipe for Cranberry-Buttermilk Muffins is not actually in the book but it is of the same muffin genre. I just found it while reading the digital version of Better Homes and Gardens on my iPad. It caught my eye because I had some leftover buttermilk. These muffins are like a cross between a muffin and a scone. They have crunchy tops, tender insides with little bursts of tart cranberries throughout. The orange zest adds a nice touch also.


[BTW, can I just say how much I enjoy reading magazines on my iPad? Some mags have extra features for ipads like videos or other interactives. But even if they don't, I love being able to keep mags without any clutter or worries about environmental impact. You can bookmark recipes, email them, etc. LOVE IT!]

Cranberry Buttermilk Muffins
From Better Homes and Gardens, December 2011

1 cup fresh cranberries
2 Tbs. sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. finely shredded orange peel
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted (I used a little less)
coarse sugar for topping


Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease twelve to fourteen 2 1/2-inch muffin cups. In a medium mixing bowl, toss cranberries with 2 Tbs. sugar; set aside.


In a large bowl, combine flour, 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar, the baking powder, orange peel, and salt; stir well. 


In a small bowl, combine egg, buttermilk, and butter. Make a well in center of flour mixture; add egg mixture and cranberries. Stir just until moistened. 


Spoon into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle tops with coarse sugar. Bake muffins about 15 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.