Baking: Cakes, Cookies, Muffins: Star-Topped Cranberry Muffins

These festive cranberry muffins will be the star of your breakfast table or gift basket!

Author: Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, adapted by CalorieKing
Date: December 27, 2012

Suggestions: For a holiday gift idea, wrap the muffins in colorful cellophane wrap and ribbon! (Note: If gift includes the cranberry butter, keep chilled)

Serves: 20 person(s)
Yield: 20 x muffins

Preparation Time: 25 mins
Cooking Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

3/4 cup coarsely chopped cranberries
1/3 cup chopped star fruit
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chilled buttery spread *
1 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk (1%)
1 egg
3 Tbsp thawed orange juice concentrate
2 large star fruit, cut into 20 slices (for muffin topping)
3/4 cup powdered sugar (for cranberry butter)
6 Tbsp buttery spread, softened (for cranberry butter)
4 1/2 tsp thawed orange juice (for cranberry butter)
1/2 cup finely chopped cranberries (for cranberry butter)

Directions:

MUFFINS: Combine cranberries and chopped star fruit with 1/4 cup sugar; set aside.

Combine remaining sugar, flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add combined buttermilk, egg and orange juice concentrate, mixing until just moistened. Fold in cranberry mixture.

Spoon into lightly buttered medium-sized muffin cups. Top each with one star fruit slice. Bake at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve with Cranberry Butter.

CRANBERRY BUTTER: Combine sugar, butter and orange juice concentrate, mixing until well-blended. Stir in cranberries. Chill.

Variations:

* Original recipe calls for 1/2 cup chilled butter, cut up (butter is not included in the nutritional analysis).