Cakes & Cupcakes

Cranberry Crumble Muffins

Name: Cranberry Crumble Muffins
Yield: Makes approximately 16 muffins
Ingredients: 85g butter, melted; 130g cake flour; 75g caster sugar; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 3 tablespoons rolled oats; 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

9 May 2021

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

Jump to recipe

A pile of cranberry crumble muffins in red cases on a plate, the muffin tin in front

A cranberry crumble muffin broken open to show the cranberries, its red case peeled back

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 myself 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.

Cranberry crumble muffins in their tin, one tipped over in its red case

Close-up of a tin of cranberry crumble muffins, one tipped to show its red case, from above

A single cranberry crumble muffin in a red case, the pile blurred behind

The recipe

Cranberry Crumble Muffins

Makes approximately 16 muffins

adventureswithsugar.com/cranberry-crumble-muffins/

Method

Method: crumble

Mix the dry ingredients: Mix the flour, sugar, oats and salt together.
Add the butter: Slowly pour in the melted butter and mix to combine.
Freeze: Place in the freezer until ready to use.

Method: cranberry muffins

Preheat the oven and line the tins: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius and line your cupcake tins with cupcake liners. You can alternatively use baking paper squares to line each cup, for a more rustic look.
Melt the butter: Place the butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave, until melted.
Add the oil and sugar: Add the oil and sugar to the melted butter and mix until combined.
Add the eggs and vanilla: Add in the eggs and vanilla and continue to stir until incorporated.
Add the sour cream and milk: Add in the sour cream and milk and mix.
Add the dry ingredients: Sift in the flour and baking powder.
Add the cranberries: Add in the cranberries.
Add the bicarbonate of soda: Finally, dissolve the bicarbonate of soda into the vinegar. It will fizz up. Immediately add to the batter and fold through.
Fill and top with crumble: Spoon the mixture into the cupcake tins until almost full. Sprinkle on the crumble.
Bake: Bake for around 15 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

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 does make a difference.

Why do you use half butter and half oil?

I love the taste of butter, which gives the muffin its tender crumb. Oil adds a level of moistness which an 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 neutral vinegar. This ingredient is not essential and can be omitted.

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