Fluffy vanilla muffins packed with swirls of tart cranberry compote finished with crumbly pecan oat streusel
Well, that’s a mouthful. They’re ACTUALLY a mouthful. These Cranberry Swirl Pecan Streusel Muffins are packed with an abundance of flavor, moistness, and all around deliciousness. The reason why I love this recipe is because, 1) it includes autumn flavors, like cranberries and spiced pecans, and 2) cranberries are one of only three fruits, along with concord grapes and blueberries, that are native to North America. It gets even better – cranberries are native to here, New England!
In 1550, Native Americans used cranberries for dyes, medicine, and food. When the pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts in 1620, the Native Americans taught them how to use cranberries. And so, the cranberry’s history began. Many might shy away from cranberries and their tartness, but adding a little sugar or honey enhances their flavor immensely.
What I love about these muffins is that they incorporate different flavor types: you get simplicity from the vanilla muffins, a fruity taste from the compote, and autumn warmth from the pecan streusel (that of course includes my favorite spice, cinnamon). When I go just north of Boston, Massachusetts, for my piano classes in the summer, I can see the tops of the trees getting lighter and lighter. When I went the other week, whole trees on a hill were a brilliant auburn! Autumn is truly starting to kick in, and these muffins are the perfect way to incorporate fall flavors.
One tip I have for you is to let the muffin batter sit on the counter for 5 minutes before you spoon it into each muffin cup. This batter is so light and airy that small air pockets are visible when you let the batter rest.
Don’t be alarmed when the compote starts turning into cranberry sauce. The longer you cook the cranberries, the more sauce-y they’ll get. Personally, I like thicker compote, bordering on classic Thanksgiving cranberry sauce, but the world is your pickle – or cranberry. Speaking of Thanksgiving, this is well in advance, but these muffins are perfect for the holiday especially since they are “personal” size. One or two muffins per person does the trick.
I really hope you give these muffins a try and ease into autumn with their warm flavors.
xoxo
Anessa
Cranberry Swirl Pecan Streusel Muffins
Cranberry Compote
- 2 cups of frozen or fresh cranberries
- 1 cup of white, granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp of orange juice
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
Vanilla Muffin
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 tsp of baking powder
- 1/2 tsp of baking soda
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup of white, granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 2 tsp of vanilla extract
Pecan Streusel
- 1/3 cup of pecans, chopped
- 1/2 cup of rolled oats
- 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup of light brown sugar
- 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 4 tbsp of unsalted butter, melted
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together all compote ingredients. Cook for 30 20 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Line cupcake tin with muffin cups. Preheat oven to 350?F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat butter on high speed until pale and fluffy. Add sugar, and beat for 5 more minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla extract to wet ingredients. Beat again.
- Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Do not overmix the batter or else muffins will be tough.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk all streusel ingredients together. Remove compote from heat. Fill muffin cups halfway. Add compote to squeeze bottle, and squeeze swirls onto muffin batter. Fill muffin cups with more batter until each is 3/4 of the way full. Top each with about 1 tablespoon of pecan streusel.
- Bake muffins for 10-12 minutes or until they are slightly golden brown. Serve warm, and enjoy!