Description
These Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins with Oat Streusel Topping are a delicious and creative way to use up leftover homemade cranberry sauce. Featuring a moist batter packed with oats and warm cinnamon, topped with a crunchy oat streusel, these muffins deliver a perfect balance of tartness and sweetness. Baked to golden perfection, they make an ideal breakfast treat or snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Cranberry Sauce Muffins
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups leftover homemade cranberry sauce
Oat Streusel Topping
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and grated
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and lightly coat them with nonstick baking spray to prevent sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon until evenly combined; set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a medium mixing bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter with brown sugar until smooth. Then add milk, egg, and vanilla extract, stirring well. Note that the mixture will be somewhat lumpy—this is normal.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the bowl with dry ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula just until the ingredients start to come together. Do not fully combine at this stage to avoid overmixing.
- Add Cranberry Sauce: Fold in the leftover cranberry sauce carefully until just combined. Overmixing will affect the muffin texture.
- Fill Muffin Cups: Using a spoon or cookie scoop, divide the batter evenly among the muffin liners, filling about three-quarters full to allow room for rising.
- Prepare Oat Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, rolled oats, all-purpose flour, grated cold butter, and cinnamon. Mix with your fingers or a fork until crumbly and well combined.
- Top the Muffins: Sprinkle a spoonful of the oat streusel topping evenly over each muffin to add a crunchy texture.
- Bake the Muffins: Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. This ensures the muffins are fully cooked.
- Cool: Let the muffins cool in the muffin tray for about 5 minutes to set, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Do not overmix the batter to maintain a tender muffin crumb.
- Use leftover homemade cranberry sauce for the best flavor; canned varieties may be too sweet or gelatinous.
- You can store the muffins covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute butter with plant-based margarine and use your preferred non-dairy milk.
- If desired, add chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans for extra crunch in the streusel topping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 33g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
