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Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine, March 2001
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
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INGREDIENTS: 1-1/4 cups dried, sweetened cranberries
4 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, divided use
4 Tbsp. water
2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided use
3/4 cup sugar, divided use
2-1/4 tsp. baking powder, divided use
11 Tbsp. (1 stick + 3 Tbsp.) Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend (or butter), melted, divided use
1/4 cup chopped or broken walnuts , toasted
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1-1/2 Tbsp. orange zest, packed
1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt (I used Stonyfield Farm)
1 X-large egg
1 cup confectioner’s (10X) sugar
Combine cranberries, OJ concentrate and water in small saucepan; heat to boiling; cover; off heat; let sit for 30 minutes to plump.
Heat oven to 425F (400F for dark or coated pans). Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
Make crumb topping: In medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp. baking powder. Stir in 3 Tbsp. melted butter, then add walnuts, pinching mixture into clumps with fingers. Set aside.
In another medium bowl, whisk together remaining 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 2 tsp. baking powder, baking soda, salt and orange zest. Drain the cranberries well, pressing them down in a sieve, but catch the juices that remain. Pat the cranberries dry by rolling them in several thicknesses of paper towels. Add them to the flour mixture, tossing to coat well.
In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 8 Tbsp. melted butter, yogurt and egg. Pour the flour mixture into the liquids and stir lightly with a spoon or spatula just till barely combined. Do not overmix – it’s okay to have some lumps. Spoon batter into muffin cups and cover with crumb topping. Gently press topping onto muffins. Bake about 15 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near center returns clean. Cool muffins on wire rack. While muffins are cooling, prepare a glaze using 1 cup confectioner’s sugar and about 2 Tbsp. of the reserved juice from the cranberries. Use as much of the juice as you need to make a thin glaze. Drizzle it over tops of muffins and let them air dry till the glaze hardens. Serve immediately or freeze for later use.
Yield: 12 muffins
Cook’s Notes:
1. To make a lower-fat muffin, use 1/2 cup applesauce + 2 Tbsp. melted butter, instead of 8 Tbsp. butter.
2. Easy way to melt the butter – In large microwaveable bowl, heat ALL the butter on high, covered, till it melts. Prepare topping ingredients using 3 Tbsp. of butter from large bowl. Mix the egg & yogurt with the remaining butter in the large bowl.
3. If you use fresh or frozen whole cranberries for this recipe, increase cranberries to 1-1/2 cups, and toss them with 2 Tbsp. additional sugar before adding to flour.
4. Large egg may be substituted for the X-large egg, if desired.
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