GLAZED CRANBERRY-ORANGE MUFFINS WITH WALNUT CRUMB TOPPING

Come fall, I start dreaming about cranberry confections. This recipe, adapted from Food & Wine Magazine’s March 2001 issue, called for fresh or frozen whole cranberries. I really wanted to make these with whole cranberries, but couldn’t find any. So I subbed dried sweetened cranberries instead. I erred in only using 3/4 cup, thinking that when they plumped, they’d double in size. Well, maybe they did double, but I wanted more cranberries. So I’ve adjusted the recipe below accordingly.

These muffins are the bomb and are almost cupcake-like! So tender and delicate, so moist and flavorful. I was short on orange zest when I made these, so there was barely a hint of orange; but they were still delicious. Be sure you use the full amount of orange zest for best flavor. The crumb topping is to die for, especially with the glaze made with the leftover juice from plumping the cranberries. (Food & Wine’s glaze was just confectioner’s sugar and water.)

Really, these are a winner. You might want to double the recipe, because these will go fast.

Glazed Cranberry-Orange Muffins with Walnut Crumb Topping Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine, March 2001 Rating: 9.5 out of 10 Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS: 1-1/4 cups dried, sweetened cranberries 4 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, divided use 4 Tbsp. water 2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided use 3/4 cup sugar, divided use 2-1/4 tsp. baking powder, divided use 11 Tbsp. (1 stick + 3 Tbsp.) Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend (or butter), melted, divided use 1/4 cup chopped or broken walnuts , toasted 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. sea salt 1-1/2 Tbsp. orange zest, packed 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt (I used Stonyfield Farm) 1 X-large egg 1 cup confectioner’s (10X) sugar Combine cranberries, OJ concentrate and water in small saucepan; heat to boiling; cover; off heat; let sit for 30 minutes to plump. Heat oven to 425F (400F for dark or coated pans). Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Make crumb topping: In medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp. baking powder. Stir in 3 Tbsp. melted butter, then add walnuts, pinching mixture into clumps with fingers. Set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk together remaining 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tsp. baking powder, baking soda, salt and orange zest. Drain the cranberries well, pressing them down in a sieve, but catch the juices that remain. Pat the cranberries dry by rolling them in several thicknesses of paper towels. Add them to the flour mixture, tossing to coat well. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 8 Tbsp. melted butter, yogurt and egg. Pour the flour mixture into the liquids and stir lightly with a spoon or spatula just till barely combined. Do not overmix – it’s okay to have some lumps. Spoon batter into muffin cups and cover with crumb topping. Gently press topping onto muffins. Bake about 15 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near center returns clean. Cool muffins on wire rack. While muffins are cooling, prepare a glaze using 1 cup confectioner’s sugar and about 2 Tbsp. of the reserved juice from the cranberries. Use as much of the juice as you need to make a thin glaze. Drizzle it over tops of muffins and let them air dry till the glaze hardens. Serve immediately or freeze for later use. Yield: 12 muffins Cook’s Notes: 1. To make a lower-fat muffin, use 1/2 cup applesauce + 2 Tbsp. melted butter, instead of 8 Tbsp. butter. 2. Easy way to melt the butter – In large microwaveable bowl, heat ALL the butter on high, covered, till it melts. Prepare topping ingredients using 3 Tbsp. of butter from large bowl. Mix the egg & yogurt with the remaining butter in the large bowl. 3. If you use fresh or frozen whole cranberries for this recipe, increase cranberries to 1-1/2 cups, and toss them with 2 Tbsp. additional sugar before adding to flour. 4. Large egg may be substituted for the X-large egg, if desired.

LEMON-RICOTTA CRANBERRY WALNUT MINI MUFFINS

A friend asked me to bake mini muffins for her son's rehearsal dinner. These were one of the muffins I made, and they were really delicious. Giada's "Nonna's Lemon Ricotta Biscuits" were the inspiration for this recipe. I added the walnuts, cranberries and a bit of orange zest to the batter and brushed a lemon glaze over the tops of the warm muffins. The glaze really set this muffin off, enhancing the lemonny flavor and bringing them to the next level. Yep, this one's a keeper for sure. The lemon flavor is mild, but just enough, and the cranberries and walnuts are perfect with the citrus flavor.

Lemon-Ricotta Cranberry Walnut Mini Muffins

Adapted from Nonna's Lemon Ricotta Biscuits

Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup low-protein flour (I used White Lily all-purpose, but cake flour will do)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries

1/2 cup toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and partially cooled

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest

1 tsp. finely grated orange zest

1 large egg

1 cup whole-milk ricotta

2 Tbsp. lemon juice, divided use

1/4 cup confectioner's (10X) sugar

Heat oven to 425 F. Grease 3 (12-cup) mini-muffin tins or line with paper liners.

In medium bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cranberries and nuts.

In large bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, and zests tilll smooth. Whisk in the egg and beat till smooth again. Whisk in ricotta and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and beat till smooth. With spatula or spoon, stir in the dry ingredients, just till barely combined, leaving lumps, if any. Spoon into muffin cups, using about 1 Tbsp. for each. Place pans in oven and immediately reduce heat to 350F. Bake about 14 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted in center returns with just a few crumbs. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

In the meantime, in small bowl, whisk together confectioner's sugar and remaining 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Brush over tops of warm muffins and allow to set (about 1 hour) before serving or freezing. Yield: 36 mini-muffins

NOTE: For a standard-sized muffin, you will use about 1/4 cup batter. So you can assume 9 standard-sized muffins from this recipe, if you choose to make those instead of minis.

CRANBERRY MUFFINS WITH WALNUT CRUMB TOPPING

I'm so proud of myself. Raspberries were on sale again this week, and I resisted the urge to buy more. My freezer is loaded with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and yes, even cranberries left from last year. Today's recipe used the last of the cranberries. The last 2 cups. Until they come in season again, which will be very soon. This is an excellent muffin recipe from Food & Wine, March 2001 issue. The walnut crumb topping is so very good. I made my usual changes: subbed some whole wheat flour, made them lower fat by subbing applesauce for some of the butter, and subbed some Stevia for some of the sugar. But I also added some flavorings, because the recipe was a little bland. Orange and lemon zests really accent the fruit and vanilla brings it all together. 1 cup of grated fresh apple added some moisture and flavor; and the end result is a moist, flavorful muffin that will please the most discriminating eater. The list of ingredients is long, but worth the effort, because these muffins are very special. I guarantee you will not only like them, but you will make them again and again. Blueberries would work well here also.

































Cranberry Muffins with Walnut Crumb Topping
Rating: 10 out of 10
INGREDIENTS:
Topping:
1/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. molasses
1/4 tsp. baking powder
pinch of sea salt
2-1/2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
Muffin:
1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar + 2 Tbsp., divided use
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of sea salt
2 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups cranberries
1 cup grated tart apple

Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly grease cups and top of a 12-cup muffin pan; set aside.

Make the crumb topping: Combine all topping ingredients in a small bowl; mix with fork or fingers; pinch the topping mixture into clumps; set aside.

Make the muffins: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, orange and lemon zests, mixing till well combined. In a large bowl, whisk yogurt, egg, butter, vanilla and applesauce, mixing till well combined and smooth. Rinse and drain the cranberries; pat dry with paper towels; stir the remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar into the cranberries; add the apple. Stir the cranberries and apple into the dry ingredients, mixing well to distribute ingredients. Add the wet ingredients all at once and stir only until barely combined, using a spatula. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into each of the 12 cups and cover with the crumb topping. Gently press the topping onto the muffins so it adheres. Place muffins in oven and immediately reduce heat to 350F. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the muffins test done when a toothpick inserted in center returns with just a few crumbs. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling. Yield: 12 muffins