Lemon Cranberry Muffins

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These Lemon Cranberry Muffins are zesty, light and full of flavor, and they’re perfect for breakfast, brunch or snack time. 

I love baking, and I tend to go a little overboard during the holidays. I mean, it’s probably the one time out of the entire year when it’s considered normal to bake to your heart’s content, right? So when the holidays are over, I still like to bake, but I try to stay away from anything heavy, at least until Valentine’s Day!

I also try to stay away from the stores right after Christmas, but I needed a few things from Walmart yesterday, so I had to venture out into the cold — literally! I know many of you are having a mild winter, but it’s been a bit nippy here in the Arizona desert. And if you want to avoid the crowds, go shopping at night. It’s much calmer then, and I was able to stroll down the aisles and plan out the meals for the week.

I picked up some Craisins® Dried Cranberries, which I like to pack in the kids’ lunches, in the dried fruit aisle. I use these for snacks, on salads and as a topping for yogurt. We just love them!

I also found these Craisins® Fruit Clusters, which sounded pretty good too.

Since the kids are still on break, I thought it would be nice to make them some lemon cranberry muffins for breakfast, using the dried cranberries. Lemon is so refreshing, and it’s a nice change from the pumpkin, eggnog and peppermint baked goods that we’ve been having for the last couple of months!

I used my favorite recipe for blueberry muffins, but I swapped out the blueberries in favor of the Craisins®, and I added lemon juice and lemon zest for extra zing. 

I also used coconut oil in place of vegetable oil or butter. I love this stuff, and I even use it to make bath and body products — it’s awesome!

While I was making the muffins, the kids and I snacked on the fruit clusters. These little bites are really good, and once you taste them, you may be tempted to keep on snacking — just saying! So, I even used them as a crunchy topping on some of the muffins. 

I also made a very simple lemon glaze and drizzled it lightly over the muffins when they were finished baking. This is completely optional, but it really adds to the lemony flavor.

 How to Make Lemon Cranberry Muffins

Lemon Cranberry Muffins

Lemon cranberry muffins are zesty, light and filled with flavor

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Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 12 muffins

Author: Dee

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 1- oz boxes of Craisins

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder, and set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg slightly, and stir in the coconut oil, milk and lemon zest.
• Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture, and stir in the lemon juice and Craisins®. Mix until combined, and spoon batter into lined muffin tin.
• Bake for about 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow to cool slightly.
• For an easy glaze, mix 1/4 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and drizzle over the muffins.

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The kids absolutely loved these lemon cranberry muffins. They’re tangy, but not too tart and not too sweet and definitely not heavy at all. Plus, just 1/4 cup of the Craisins® gives you half a serving of fruit, which makes this mom happy!

Are you trying to lighten up your menu after the holidays? Do you have a favorite recipe that uses Craisins®? I’d love to hear all about it!

Happy Baking,