Whoosh!!! We are in the thick (ha-think pollen!) of Spring here and the end of the school year is looming. My calendar is filling up with concerts, special events, and of course parties and that's just the school stuff! So much going on that I treasure the remaining empty calendar days (like today!) and relish the time to sit & knit while waiting for the timer for the day's baking to be done (lemon cranberry muffins today-quadruple batch!). A couple weeks ago when cleaning out my freezer I found out that I had apparently become a hoarder of cranberries with 6 full bags squirreled away in the deep. So I have been making an effort to use them up. I found the lemon cranberry muffin recipe, and it has been a huge hit with my family (phew!). I've made inroads into the healthier whole grains but haven't given up the white sugar yet. One thing at a time! ;)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (*I use half whole wheat pastry flour.)
- 1 cup sugar (*I reduce it to 3/4 c.)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (*I use kosher.)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (*I use canola.)
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved (*I just threw them in the food processor.)
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted (*I like these but one have left them off too.)
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk, oil and extract. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in cranberries.
- Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full; sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.
