Orange Cranberry Muffins with Walnut Crumble

This award winning recipe is the perfect breakfast treat to make for family or to share with friends this holiday season. Look no further than these scrumptious Orange Cranberry Muffins with a Walnut Crumble topping.

The batter seems heavy, but the muffns bake up light and tender. Slather with rich European butter or a delicious jam like Heavens to Betsy pear preserves.

I mixed the batter by hand in a large bowl. A stand mixer tends to make for an overbeaten batter- a no no when making quick breads.

Be certain to chop your walnuts finely or else they will just burn. You want the walnut crumble to be very well coated in butter so chopping the nuts is key.

Also, I find cutting the cranberries in half makes for better distribution of the fruit. Whole cranberries just sink to the bottom of the batter. Take a moment to cut them. Dried berries are NOT a good substitute for these berries. Frozen berries work great and are always available in most stores.

Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

Fresh cranberries, toasted walnuts and orange zest are the perfect holiday muffin flavors.

Orange Cranberry Muffins with Walnut Crumble- makes 12-14 muffins

For the Crumble
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup flour
2 TBSP granulated sugar
2 TBSP light brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
For the Muffins
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar- divided
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup greek style yogurt
2 eggs, beaten
1 stick unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, sliced in half
1 TBSP orange zest

Cut the crans in half and add sugar & zest

Coating the berries with sugar keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin- and sweetens them. They are tart!

Method- Prep time- 30 minutes, baking time 20 minutes

For the Crumble- Mix the flour, granulated and brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a small bowl, stir in the toasted walnuts. Stir in the butter. with clean cold hands or a spoon mix the ingredients. The mixture will become crumbly. Chill until needed.
Pre heat oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In a smaller bowl beat the eggs well. Stir in the yogurt and cooled butter.
In another bowl, combine the remianing sugar ( 1/4 cup) with the cranberries and orange zest.
Fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a spoon or spatula until well combined, but do not over mix. Fold in the cranberry mixture.
Generously, butter the sides and top of a 12- cup muffin pan.
With an ice cream scoop, spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Spoon over the walnut crumble, pressing it into the batter.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the muffins comes out clean.
Cool muffins on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Gently loosen with an off- set spatula or knife. Serve muffins warm.
You can freeze uneaten muffins for up to 3 weeks in an air tight container.