Sunday, February 6, 2011

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Adapted from my favorite blueberry muffin recipe. Chopped pecans are a good add-in, if you have them.

Original blueberry muffin recipe at Simply Recipes.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole grain spelt flour (substitute 1 additional cup all-purpose flour if you don't have spelt)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 and 1/2 cups plain yogurt (2 6-ounce containers)
1 cup cranberries, picked over, washed, and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place muffin cups in muffin tin(s) (I usually get about 20 muffins).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Set aside.

In a large bowl, blend the butter and all but one tablespoon of the sugar. Stir in the eggs and grated orange peel.

In a small bowl, toss the cranberries with the remaining one tablespoon of sugar. Set aside.

Carefully stir in 1/2 of the dry ingredients into the large bowl. Then, stir in 1/3 of the yogurt. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients, followed by the remaining yogurt. Add the cranberries, stirring until just blended.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake until golden brown (about 25 t0 30 minutes). Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin to be sure the center of the muffins are done (the toothpick should come out clean). Set on a wire rack to cool.