Cranberry Almond Muffins
Packed with cranberries and topped with sliced almonds, these Cranberry Almond Muffins are a tasty way to start the morning!
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I own a lot of pans and cookware. Laura jokes that the shelves in my workshop (i.e. the basement) look like the racks at TJ Maxx or Marshall’s. I have a cast iron pan shaped like 4 small bears. I have an all-edge brownie pan. I have more plates and silverware than any person needs. But one thing that I don’t have? A muffin top pan.
I’ve never quite understood the appeal of a muffin top pan. Sure, muffin tops are delicious. But I’m an equal-opportunity muffin consumer. I’ll eat the top of the muffin. I’ll eat the base of the muffin. It’s all delicious! However, I must admit that these Cranberry Almond Muffins are making me second-guess the muffin top pan.
Cranberry Almond Muffins
When I pulled a pan of these Cranberry Almond Muffins out of the oven, I had one wonky looking muffin. I had overfilled that one with just a little too much batter. You see, I had just a tiny bit of batter left in the bowl, so I decided to add it to one of the muffin tins. I knew as I was doing it that it was a mistake. Sure enough, that muffin outgrew it’s wrapper…and then kept on growing. Oops. We’ve all been there.
So I did what any normal person would do when faced with this situation. I ate the evidence. More specifically, I peeled the rather large and overgrown top off of that muffin and ate it. Holy cow! The slightly crispy top of that muffin coated with toasted almonds was incredible. I was seriously tempted to just go along and peel the tops off of all of the other Cranberry Almond Muffins! (Note: I managed to show enough restraint to avoid this plan…)
So what makes these Cranberry Almond Muffins so tasty? Well, the base of the muffin itself is quite delicious. The base is light and fluffy (almost cake-like), and it’s packed with flavor thanks to the almond and vanilla extract. Add in the cranberries and toasted almonds on top, and you’ve got one heck of a delicious muffin. Talk about starting the day off right!
One quick note about the recipe for these Cranberry Almond Muffins – it calls for a 1/3 cup of buttermilk. Now unless you just love buttermilk, it’s hard to justify purchasing a whole container of buttermilk just for 1/3 cup. You have 2 options here: just use regular milk instead (the muffins will still taste good!) or pick up a container of powdered buttermilk. I love that powdered buttermilk. I store it in the fridge, and I can whip up however much buttermilk I need for a recipe.
If you’re looking for a fun way to bake with cranberries, put these Cranberry Almond Muffins on the list! And try not to go along and eat the tops off of all the muffins, ok? Happy baking!
Did you make a batch of these Cranberry Almond Muffins at home? Leave a comment or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Cranberry Almond Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 oz. 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1½ cups cranberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup sliced almonds divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Lightly spray 2 muffin tins with baking spray, or line muffin tins with paper liners.
- Using a medium mixing bowl, add flour and baking powder; stir until well combined. Set mixture aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream together sugar, butter and salt until light and fluffy (~3-4 minutes on medium speed).
- Using a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract, almond extract and oil. Pour liquid mixture into bowl of mixer in 2 additions, mixing well after each addition.
- Add flour mixture and mix on low until well combined.
- Fold in cranberries and ¾ cup of almonds.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin tins.
- Sprinkle the remaining sliced almonds on top of the muffins before baking.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. (Note: Check the muffins after ~20 minutes. If the almonds on top are browning too quickly, tent the pan with foil.)
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Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use vegan butter and coconut milk i never had cranberry almond muffins before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
While I haven’t used vegan options myself in this recipe, Ramya, I do believe they would work well. Give it a try! The cranberry + almond combo is delicious!
I hope we have the fresh cranberries here, we usually get them dried. I think I will try this recipe using those but will try to rehydrate them in rhum to give it a boozy festive taste. Thanks for the recipe
Oh, I do hope fresh cranberries show up down there, Raymund – dried cranberries are good in some recipes, but fresh really take things up a notch in baking recipes! Soaking dried cranberries in rum would be a good idea if the fresh ones don’t show up. Give it a try!
cranberries and almonds sound like a fab combo david. i thought you were kidding about the muffin top pan till i checked it out. Hilarious!!
Haha – not kidding at all, Sherry! If you can imagine it, someone probably makes it. 🙂
Say what?!! A muffin top pan?! I’ve never heard of such a thing – and that’s probably one of the most ridiculous pans that has been created! And are they popular? Why won’t you just bake a normal muffin, slice off the top for yourself, and give the bottom part to someone else (Who doesn’t mind)? Lol mean, so many questions – no answers! Anyway, these muffins look terrific, I imagine enjoying them on a frosty crisp winter morning. I’m also thinking what if to reduce the amount of sugar a bit and sneak in the batter some white chocolate pieces instead? That must be good, too!
So let’s be real here, Ben. I do love muffin tops, and I do love muffin bottoms. But if someone sliced the top off of a muffin and gave me the bottom only? I’d be mad! That’s like someone giving you the bottom of a cupcake without the frosting. Who does that!?
In other news, I like your idea of white chocolate chunks in these muffins. You should make a batch for the holidays!
I enjoy a good muffin for brekkie, these look like a delicious combo. I would need to use frozen cranberries, no fresh ones to be had here. The average kitchen just isn’t big enough for all the pans etc needed for our baking needs, is it? Hubby has a tool shed, dare I infiltrate that? I’ve never seen powdered buttermilk here, is it a thing here I wonder? I always make my own, vinegar and milk. Too expensive to buy, and always waste it.
Hey Pauline! Like you, I’m a sucker for a good muffin in the morning. So if you can’t get fresh cranberries, then I think frozen ones would be absolutely fine here. Another reader pointed out that dried cranberries that had been rehydrated could work in a pinch, too.
You make a good point about homemade buttermilk. I used to do it that way myself, but then the powdered version is so easy to just keep stored in the back of the fridge. Either way, hope your holidays are going well!
Your muffins look great David. And as you know, being a HUGE cranberry fan, they’re right up my street. What an excellent Christmas bake. Such pretty looking photographs too that just want to make me reach into your website and grab them!
Do you guys get fresh cranberries over there? I wouldn’t have thought about it, but I know our Australian friends can’t get fresh berries. I do hope you get a chance to bake a batch of these muffins – they are delicious! 🙂
You have a third option for the buttermilk: make more muffins. And a fourth option: make pancakes as well as muffins. Throw in some sausages and scrambled eggs, and I’ll be over before you finish cooking. I’ll bring coffee.
I like this plan of yours, Jeff. Bring extra coffee, please…and make it strong!
I love that you have all of those various muffin pans – including the ‘muffin top’ pan. That episode of Seinfeld was hilarious, but of course there was a secret to getting those muffin tops right. 😉
These Cranberry Almond Muffins look perfectly irresistible! Some of the best flavors of the holiday season. I think they’d make a wonderful breakfast on Christmas morning or snack any time!
Oh, I do love me some Seinfeld – I almost always stop and watch when I find them on reruns whenever I’m channel surfing. And these muffins? Truly delicious! Thanks, Marissa!
I always love a good muffin and these look great! Cranberries are perfect for this time of year and I love that you’ve paired these with almonds!
There is just something magical about the cranberry + almond combination! Thanks, Kathy!
Love the combination of cranberry and almonds together! These muffins look fantastic, David — and I just happened to buy bags of cranberries so I’ll have to whip these up!
Yes! It is cranberry season, and these muffins are a great way to use ’em. (I also grab a couple extra bags of cranberries this time of the year and store ’em in the freezer for later months when you can’t find cranberries.) Happy baking, my friend!
Great results!! I followed the recipe as written with two minor adjustments. I substituted 1/2 tsp of the vanilla extract with 1/2 tsp of almond extract and added sugar to the top with the almonds.
Delicious, moist and beautiful!!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! I’ll have to try that idea of adding almond extract next time I make a batch of these. Cheers!
VERY DRY! Do you really combine the wet and dry ingredients together using in the mixer? Most muffin recipes recommend mixing as little as possible, until just combined.
Hey Louise! Because these muffins use both butter and oil, you can’t go with the classic “mix wet, mix dry, mix together” method. However, with that said, we’ve made this recipe several times and they’ve don’t come out dry. Perhaps double check that all of the ingredients were added??