Cranberry Crumble Muffins

My go to muffin recipe, which I have slightly tweaked with the inclusion of dried cranberries and a crumble topping

I love how versatile my go-to muffin recipe is, and I often adapt it to things I have lying around. Here, I had some leftover cranberries and oats from the breakfast cookies I baked a few weeks back and decided to use them to create these cranberry crumble muffins.

I wanted to use the oats, but was not sure how that would have fared in the muffin itself, so decided to make a crumble with it instead. The results, I must say, were very pleasing.

Many of you who follow me on instagram know that I love challenging myslef in the kitchen, but this one bowl recipe is the furthest thing from a challenge – which is nice when you do not want to spend hours in the kitchen.

TIPS FOR MAKING THESE CRANBERRY CRUMBLE MUFFINS

• Is the crumble necessary? Not at all. As I mention above, I added it to the muffins to use up some extra rolled oats. The muffin is delicious without it as well, but I do like the texture from the crumble.
• Why are you so pedantic about the egg size? In South Africa (as in other parts of the world) egg sizes vary. I have tested these out for a particular size of egg. I add the gram weightings so that if you do not have two extra large eggs, for example, you can use three (or perhaps two and a half) large eggs instead. I have found that in some bakes, using different sized eggs do make a difference.
• Why do you use half butter and half oil? I love the taste of butter, which gives the muffin it’s tender crumb. Oil adds a level of moistness which are all butter muffin lacks, due to the water content in butter. Using all oil however makes a moist muffin, but then feels a bit heavy and does not have a fluffy crumb.
• Is the lemon zest in the batter essential? I find lemon helps to bring out the fruitiness of certain berries, but it is not essential to include.
• What can I substitute for the sour cream? The sour cream adds a level of moisture to the sponge. Yogurt is a good substitute. You can use buttermilk as well but then the muffin will have a slight tang. As a last resort, milk is an option. The fat content in milk is lower than all of the above though, so will not produce the same texture.
• I do not want a muffin that tastes like vinegar! Who does?! The vinegar (acid) is used to activate the baking soda (base) so that you get those wonderful slightly overflown tops that are characteristic of muffins. You cannot taste the vinegar. Make sure you use a neural vinegar. This ingredient is not essential and can be omitted.

If you make this recipe, please share it with me by tagging me on Instagram @adventureswithsugar or on Facebook at Adventures with Sugar. Please also leave a comment below to let me know how you got on with the recipe.

FOR THE CRUMBLE

• 85g butter, melted
• 130g cake flour
• 75g caster sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats

METHOD

1. Mix the flour, sugar, oats and salt together.
2. Slowly pour in the melted butter and mix to combine.
3. Place in the freezer until ready to use.

FOR THE CRANBERRY MUFFINS (MAKES APPROXIMATELY 16 MUFFINS)

• 120g butter (1/2 cup)
• 125ml oil (1/2 cup)
• 300g sugar (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 XL eggs (around 59g each)
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
• 300g cake flour (2 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 120g sour cream (1/2 cup)
• 120ml milk (1/2 cup)
• 1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• 120g cranberries

METHOD

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and line your cupcake tins with cupcake liners. You can alternatively use baking paper squares to line each cup, for a more rustic look.
2. Place the butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave, until melted.
3. Add the oil and sugar to the melted butter and mix until combined.
4. Add in the eggs and vanilla and continue to stir until incorporated.
5. Add in the sour cream and milk and mix.
6. Sift in the flour and baking powder.
7. Add in the cranberries.
8. Finally, disolve the bicarbonate of soda into the vinegar. It will fizz up. Immediately add to the batter and fold through.
9. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake tins until almost full. Sprinkle on the crumble.
10. Bake for around 15 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com