Cranberry Crumb Muffins
In these tender muffins, a crunchy topping adds nice textural contrast, and supertart cranberries keep the sweetness balanced. Fresh or frozen cranberries work well, but if using frozen cranberries, do not thaw them before they go into the batter. The batter may seem extra stiff from the cold berries, but it will bake up just fine. (They may need an extra minute or two in the oven.) Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or a mix of the three would be lovely. If you use berries, you can expect some color streaking, but they will taste great. Chopped up in-season peaches or plums would be tasty, too. Use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to portion muffin batter into the prepared pan: It’s easy, quick and helps to keep the muffins the same size.
- Total:
- Serves: 12 persons
Ingredients
- ¾cup/96 grams all-purpose flour
- ½cup/89 grams loosely packed dark brown sugar
- 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼teaspoon kosher salt
- 4tablespoons/57 grams unsalted butter, melted
- 2cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
- 2 ½teaspoons baking powder
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼teaspoon baking soda
- 2cups cranberries/227 grams, fresh or frozen (but not thawed)
- 1cup/99 grams pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
- ½cup/120 grams full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- ¼cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 8tablespoons/113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾cup/151 grams granulated sugar
- 2large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with liners.Step 2
Prepare the crumb mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter, and stir to combine.Step 3
Prepare the muffins: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add the cranberries and pecans, and gently toss to combine.Step 4
In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and the milk. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.Step 5
Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Fold in the sour cream mixture. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Squeeze the crumb mixture to create clumps of varying size, and sprinkle evenly over the tops. (It’s OK if some of the crumb mixture lands on the tray.)Step 6
Bake the muffins until they are puffed and set, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 26 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.