Jan 11, 2011

Cranberry Muffins

         I always have had a heart for red colour, when it comes to food.. That must be the reason why, when you go vegetable shopping at the stores or super markets, you feel like an invisible hand pushes you towards the beautiful array of strawberries , tomatoes on the wine.. and the like... and you cannot wrench your hand away when it stretches unknowingly towards the red peppers. The result is.. you end up buying a lot of vegetables and fruits which where not in your 'urgently needed' list when you got into the store the first time. So when I saw these cranberries winking at me from inside the packet pulling me to it as if with ropes, I just had no power to resist and fell in the trap again.. SO LIKE ME! :(


       Back home in my kitchen, I was wondering what I was going to do with these cranberries, which even my son declined to eat due to their tartness. First I thought I would pickle them.. then I got a better idea. Why not incorporate it in a muffin? My son loves anything cupcaky and he is sure not going to mind cranberries in them. So I made these cranberry muffins and was glad I did. My son loved the interesting involvement of cranberries in his muffins and finished two of it immediately after it was taken out from the oven.

     The addition of orange zest gave it a flavourful twist which was hailed with zeal by both father and son. But I had a problem with the amount of batter to be poured in each paper cups. I made the first batch, filling quarter of the cups with the mixture and the result was muffins which didn't rise to the top. It rose only up to three fourth of the cups. So I made the next batch filling up to three fourth, and then it was perfect. A nice muffin with splashes of scarlet tartness from the cranberries. I must say, I too fell in love with their looks and taste. Coming to the recipe..



Things you need:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 cups white flour
A pinch of salt
1 egg, well beaten
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tbsp grated orange peel
1 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped

Procedure:



1) Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Line a medium muffin pan of 12 numbers with paper cups.

2) Sift together  flour,baking powder, baking soda and salt and keep aside.

3) Beat butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Add orange zest and orange juice and beat until blended.

4) Beat the egg and slowly fold in to the mixture little at a time, adding a little of the flour mixture with last of the egg.

5) Now fold in the flour mixture gently. Very lightly stir in the cranberries.

6) Fill the batter up to 3/4th of the paper cups in the tray and bake for about 20 minutes until the surface is slightly brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

7) Transfer the muffins to a wire wrack to cool. Enjoy!


And Aipi of US Masala has shared this lovely award for participating in the Veggie/Fruit a month event. Do visit her blog.. She has a wonderful space with nice recipes. Thank you Aipi for the award!



28 comments:

  1. Adorable muffins, i wont bother to have some..

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  2. yummy muffins and beautifully made...
    Reva

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  3. Those muffins look moist and delicious.. no wonder your family enjoyed it..nice presentation

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  4. You are right, red is always the centre of attraction. Cakes or pies with strawberries and cherries always calls out for attention. Cranberries in muffins is a great idea. Your muffin looks delicious. Getting fresh cranberries is very difficult over here! I'm envying you! LOL!~

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  5. So cute n perfectly baked..I love cranberries very much :)

    US Masala

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  6. Soft and delicious,looks so inviting..superb clicks dear.

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  7. yes, red color does stand out to tempt u... luv these moist and delicious muffins, has my fav cranberries too...

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  8. Mouthwatering cranberry muffins,love those clicks..

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  9. Love cranberries, Love Muffins.... So obviously love your cranberry muffins... Soft and yummy...

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  10. Wow ..spongy soft and looks devourable....

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  11. These look so wonderfully delicious!

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  12. delicious healthy muffins looks wonderful

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  13. Love the muffins... will surely make these :)

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  14. delicious muffins, congrats on your award

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  15. Close-up pic of the muffin makes me salivate!!! :D~~~

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  16. Cranberry muffins and orange zest are my favorite!!.....I use dry cranberries....have you tried them??......wonderful recipe!!........Abrazotes, Marcela

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  17. The muffins look perfect..
    Cranberries are so good for health and its a nice way to have them..
    RecipeRaaga

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  18. These are beautifully baked muffins. And congrats on your award.. well deserved one!!

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  19. delicious muffins...never tried anything with cranberries...bookmarked this one though...& congratulations fr ur award

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  20. Muffins look yummy! Congrats on your award!

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  21. Enjoyed thoroughly browsing thro' ur space, came here looking for ur zebra cake and fell in love with it, it is awesome and perfectly prepared. Happy to follow u :):)

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  22. love muffins, I usually make them with butter milk since I avoid eggs as a vegetarian. Lovely pics in your blog ;)

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