Recipe Friday Nov. 14, 2008

This has been a family favorite for 30 years, this recipe was found in a magazine when I first married. It's been a family tradition for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I generally place all the dry ingredients into a zip lock bag a week before the holiday, this allows all the seasonings to meld into the flour, giving the muffins a much better flavor. I also grind the cranberries, zest the orange, and then put them into a freezer container with the vanilla and orange juice. We like them fresh baked, so I grab it all and assemble and bake. It's so great to have all the work done ahead of time.










Cranberry Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups chopped cranberries
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Cranberry Spread:


1 (8 ounce) can whole cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup margarine


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray or grease a 12 cup and 6 cup muffin tin. (I use the large muffin pans and double the recipe.)

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, orange peel, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger. (I mix this all together in a zip lock bag a week before the holiday to let the spices flavor the flour. I leave out the orange peel as it can mold inside the bag.)

Cut in shortening; stir in juice, vanilla, eggs, cranberries and nuts. Pour into muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes or until brown.

Prepare the topping in a saucepan over low heat by whisking together the cranberry sauce, brown sugar and margarine. Cook until heated and smooth. Remove from heat and serve as a spread for the muffins.