I love to bake, but I don’t generate recipes. I usually pull them off the web, or out of books. However, I’ve lived in a lot of places and come across a handful of recipes — the written-down kind — I’d rush back into a burning building for. This cranberry muffin recipe is one of them.

A little background on *THE* Muffins. During my middle school years, when I learned to bake (woot, Home Ec), we lived in Iowa. Our next-door neighbor, Patty, was this tiny woman with three boys who baked like a boss. Things like cinnamon rolls from scratch .. cinnamon dogs (another time) .. and these muffins. Before you go conjuring a sweet little homemaker from Iowa, let me interrupt to inform you Patty was a Jersey girl. She was as brash as her oven’s output was sweet. She’d ask point-blank questions about boys that’d instantly turn me beet red from head to toe. But Patty was soft below that tough exterior, and of utmost importance here … she didn’t horde her recipes. She believed in sharing — dirty details … and delicious ones.

What follows is her simple recipe. The schoolgirl eventually grew up, and now I tweak things a little when I make them:
1) I use butter instead of Patty’s beloved Land O’ Lakes margarine. Word has it she called a university, and was told Land O’ Lakes is the only TRUE margarine so that is her go-to.
2) I use turbinado sugar on top instead of regular white sugar.
3) I omit the sour cream, because I didn’t know until writing this I was missing this ingredient all along! Look at my handwritten one above for proof! Still great muffins!!

She made them (and surely, STILL makes them!) with blueberries, but cranberries became my favorite. You can have these done in 35 minutes (and this fact will change your weekend mornings). Patty always filled them to the brim. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.

This muffin is crackly, yet light. Sweet, yet tart. They’re one of a kind — just like the firecracker of a lady who taught me to make them.

Cranberry Muffin (or Blueberry) Ingredients:

1.5 cups sugar
1 stick Land O’ Lakes margarine, softened
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk
2 cups blueberries, cranberries (fresh or frozen, but NOT thawed)
sugar, for topping

Instructions:

Cream the margarine, sour cream, sugar and eggs with a mixer.

Slice the cranberries in half. If they’re frozen, I wouldn’t recommend rinsing. FYI, you’re fingers are going to get COLD, but it’s worth it! Blueberries don’t need to be sliced unless they’re large.

Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add them to the wet, one cup at a time, alternating with the milk (to thin it back out, so the batter can accept more flour). Add the fruit. This is how it looks when it’s done:

Fill muffin cups and sprinkle a ton of sugar on top. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

You might want to prepare a double batch.. because, they’re definitely gonna disappear!

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