Cranberry Swirled Apple Muffins

I don’t know if anybody else signed up for Online Blogcon but if you haven’t, you should next year! It’s a great conference with all kinds of awesome tips about photography, link parties, recipe development, etc.  My head is swimming with new information.

Oh and these cranberry swirled apple muffins are the bomb. Go make some right this moment. They are sweet, a little bit sour and have a fluffy inside. Enjoy!
Makes 12

Ingredients

Cranberry Filling

• 1/2 cup cranberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup sugar

Batter

• 3 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 6 Oz container of Chobani Yogurt, Apple Cinnamon
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup chopped apple

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F. Spray muffin tin with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Cranberry filling: Place the cranberries, sugar and water in a medium-sized sauce pan. Let it come to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium low and gently boil until mixture has thickened. Set aside.

Prepare the muffins: In a large bowl combine the first three ingredients and set aside. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk through the baking soda.  Gently fold wet mixture into the flour, stirring until just combined . Gently fold in the apples and swirl in the cranberry filing.

Spoon the batter into 12 muffin tins. Make sure each one is filled to the very top, that is how you get a perfect risen muffin.  Bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees, then immediately reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for another 17 minutes.

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Sky High Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie

Sky High Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? The apples and cranberries are mixed with brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice, making it taste like winter. Warm and homey.  You can either use a store-bought pie crust or one you made yourself.  Enjoy!

Makes one 8 inch pie

Ingredients

For the crust

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Salt
• 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

For the filling

• About 4 granny smith apples
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Salt

For the crumble

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of whole raw almonds unsalted

• 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions:

Make crust: In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Drizzle 1/4 cup ice water evenly over mixture. Pulse until mixture holds together when pressed between 2 fingers (dough should not be wet or sticky). If dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse. Shape dough into 1 large disk.  Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Make Topping: In a clean food processor, pulse together the all-purpose flour, sugar, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and the almonds until it resembles a coarse meal. Add the butter and pulse again until it looks like wet sand. Store mixture in the refrigerator until ready to top the pie.

Make filling:Core and peel the apples. Cut them into slices or wedges and transfer to a bowl. Toss in cranberries, granulated sugar, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, fresh lemon juice, cinnamon and salt.

Preheat oven to 400 degree’s F.

Roll out the pie dough: Remove the disk of dough from refrigerator and roll out on lightly floured surface to 12 inch round. Transfer to 8 inch pie plate. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch; turn edge under and crimp decoratively.

To assemble pie: Transfer the filling to crust, mounding in center. Pack topping over and around the filling. Bake pie set on a rimmed baking sheet for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake until the crumb topping is golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 1 hour more.

Adapted from here and here