Cranberry Orange Streusel Muffins

There are some foods that just “go” with certain times of the year. Grilled burgers in the summer, stews in the cold winter months, apples in the fall. For me, cranberries are iconic with this time of year. The holidays are close, first being THANKSGIVING. Not Christmas yet!! Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas, but I would like to enjoy the holidays in the order in which they come, thank you very much!!

These muffins are perfect for using those tart little orbs that are so prevalent this time of year. I bought  a large bag of cranberries at Costco a few weeks ago and froze them. The first way I used them was in these muffins. I wanted a giant, bakery style muffin with both crumb topping and glaze. These have it all. They muffins are tender and tart with the orange zest and cranberries, and the crumb topping and glaze add just the right amount of sweetness. These muffins are perfect with a cup of coffee, perhaps while planning  your menu for Thanksgiving??  😉

Cranberry Orange Struesel Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
• juice and zest of 1 orange
• 2 cup chopped cranberries
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 cup non-fat or low-fat Greek or regular yogurt (I used vanilla)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crumb Topping

• 1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup  unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Glaze 

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk or orange juice

 

Directions:

First, make the crumb topping. In a medium bowl, combine both sugars, the cinnamon, and melted butter. Stir in the flour, I found using a pastry blender made this task easier. The crumb topping will be thick and crumbly; set aside.

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Spray a jumbo muffin pan with nonstick spray; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together until thoroughly mixed. Add the cranberries; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, orange juice, and orange zest together until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition. Whisk in the yogurt and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix together until no pockets of flour remain. Do not overmix. The batter is extremely thick.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling them all the way to the top. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons crumb topping. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F.  Keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce oven temperature to 375F and continue to bake for 13-15 minutes longer until tops are lightly golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.   To make the glaze mix the powdered sugar and milk or orange juice together in a small bowl until all lumps are gone and glaze is smooth. Drizzle over muffins. Store tightly covered.

Muffin recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction