Description
Got a bowl of leftover cranberry sauce sitting in your fridge? Here’s your delicious solution! These Cranberry Coffee Cake Muffins are bakery-soft, bursting with tangy cranberry flavor, and crowned with a buttery, cinnamon-spiced crumb that’s absolutely irresistible. Perfect with your morning coffee or as a cozy afternoon treat, they’re the kind of muffins that make you wish you had cranberry sauce all year round.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Crumb Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
For the Muffins
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup cranberry sauce (homemade or canned)
Instructions
- Make the Crumb Topping
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt.
- Pour in the melted butter and mix with a spatula until the texture looks like damp sand.
- Set aside while you prepare the muffin batter — this gives the crumbs time to firm up a bit.
- Prepare the Muffins
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- In a large mixing bowl (or using a stand mixer), beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together for about 2–3 minutes, until light and creamy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition, then blend in the vanilla, buttermilk, and sour cream until smooth.
- Lower the mixer speed and slowly add the dry ingredients, stirring just until no streaks of flour remain — don’t overmix, or your muffins will be dense.
- Assemble
- Spoon roughly one tablespoon of batter into each muffin liner and spread it out evenly.
- Drop about half a tablespoon of cranberry sauce into the center.
- Add more batter on top, filling each cup almost to the brim, making sure to cover the cranberry layer completely.
- Dab about a teaspoon of cranberry sauce on top of each muffin.
- Break up the crumb mixture with your fingers, then generously sprinkle (and gently press) 2–3 tablespoons onto each muffin.
- Bake
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
- Serve warm, or let them cool completely and enjoy them at room temperature.
Notes
Storage Tips
- Room temperature: Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerate: Store for up to 1 week.
- Freeze (batter or baked muffins):
- Unbaked batter can be frozen for up to 3 weeks. Thaw to room temperature before baking.
- Fully baked muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in the oven or microwave for a fresh-from-the-bakery feel.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 428 kcal
- Sugar: 38 g
- Sodium: 147 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 67 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 67 mg