Cranberry Streusel Muffins

Don't you love the word "Streusel." I do. I reminds me of my grandmother. I can just picture the way she would pronounce it. German. Hard yet soft at the same time. I bet you're saying it, trying to sound German right now......I can't say the word streusel without saying it twice, the second time with an accent!


So, even though I didn't do a lot of Christmas decorating this year, I did manage to fill my house with cranberries. I had them everywhere. I love decorating with cranberries at Christmas time. So, after the holidays are over I have an enormous amount of cranberries... and I have to find ways to use them. I came across an awesome muffin recipe and thought I would share it here. (I know, one of these days I'm going to share something nutritious, as I probably come off as some sugar eating feign, which some days I am, but most, not.)





Streusel Topping Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into 1/2-inch pieces



Muffin Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup milk
3 cups fresh cranberries


Directions:
For the topping, in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Add the butter pieces and combine the mixture with a fork until the topping resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place paper liners in muffin pans. In a separate medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
With an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (when it says 5 minutes, it means 5 minutes as they won't be near as fluffy if you skip this step!!!) At low speed, beat one egg in at a time, then add vanilla, sour cream, and milk until combined. Add 1/3 of dry ingredients at a time and beat until just combined. With a spatula, evenly fold blueberries into batter.
Scoop batter into muffin pans and fill each cup to the top. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a cake tester or wooden skewer comes out clean.
Makes 24 muffins



Song: Dream, The Cranberries