Cranberry Spice Muffins

These are my favorite muffins. Soft, fluffy, a little spicy, and bursting with tart cranberries. They are so easy to make and infinitely adaptable. I give you the recipe for a really delicious spiced sugar topping, but it’s not in the pictures- but use it!

Ingredients: Cranberry Spice Muffins (adapted from here)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons toasted wheat germ

1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons orange zest

1 and 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup packed shredded apple

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped cranberries

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup boiling water

Spicy Sugar Topping

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Recipe: Cranberry Spice Muffins

Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup and level with a knife.

With a spoon, combine first 8 ingredients in a large bow.

Stir in oats, shredded apple, dried cranberries, and cranberries.

Make a well in the middle of mixture. Combine buttermilk, orange juice, oil, vanilla, and egg; add to the dry mixture, stirring just until moist.

Stir in boiling water. Let batter stand 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Spoon batter into a greased muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.

Spicy Sugar Topping

Mix together the sugar and spices.

Dip the muffins in the melted butter and then in the sugar.

Enjoy!

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This is the best banana bread I’ve ever had. It’s soft, moist, stuffed full of chocolate chips, and had a perfect crunchy golden top. To make it even better, you don’t even have to use a mixer. This is the perfect thing to make when you have a bunch of brown bananas or some chocolate chips.

Ingredients: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 bananas, pureed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8 inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, mix together the sugar and butter.

Beat in the eggs and banana puree until just mixed together.

Gently fold in the dry ingredients.

Mix in the chocolate chips.

Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!