Cranberry Eggnog Coffee Cake Muffins

This is a sponsored post and I have been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Quaker. However, all opinions are 100% mine alone. #CollectiveBias #LoveMyCereal #QuakerUp

Loaded with tart cranberries and generously topped with a heavenly granola streusel, these soft holiday muffins get their amazing coffee cake-like texture from a special ingredient: Eggnog!

 It’s Friiiiiiday, Friiiiiday! Eat all the muffins and apple pie-day!

Okay, I have ZERO idea how apple pie somehow worked it’s way into whatever that was above. We’re talking muffins today, and muffins kinda demand your full attention.

However….I’m just gonna say super quick here that if-you’re-looking-for-a-great-apple-pie-recipe-I-have-a-doozy-of-one-that-you-probably-need-this-weekend.

Phew…got that outta the way. Now let’s talk muffins that are exploding with zee cranberries, jam-packed with the eggnog-y yum and sprinkled to death with the best granola in the world.

Biggest mouthful in all the EVERS right there, but trust me: You’re gonna want to keep reading. Please continue.

Soooo yeah,  I will confess that these muffins were originally supposed to be a coffee cake. In fact, the first time I tested this recipe I DID make it into a coffee cake. Obviously it was fab, but when I went to test the recipe a second time, I spied my muffin tin at the bottom of my cabinet and it occurred to me that it had probably built up about 5 inches of dust from the recent non-use….

….and I decided that I probably needed to make muffins. Well, twist my arm why ‘dontcha…

Read: I was ca-RAVING muffins. So into the muffin cups my coffee cake batter went—a little later….out came easily the best muffins of my life. Since these anyway.

Into Sarah’s waiting tummy they went. One by one until they were no more.

KIDDING. Even me, who is somewhat of a gluttonous muffin-monster couldn’t eat an entire 1-dozen batch of muffins.

You can bet I tried, though. 😉

These muffins texture differs slightly from my other cranberry muffin recipe—Rather than a soft, dense muffin, I was looking for a more light, melt-in-your-mouth cranberry muffin that mimicked the moist and fluffy texture of coffee cake.

Ding-ding. Welcome to the party, eggnog.

I guess it shouldn’t be too surprising that winter’s best beverage magically transforms a texture PLUS does wonders for flavor, but seriously: After bite #1, my mind = BLOWN. Hello, cranberry EGGNOG coffee cake muffins.

So obviously, the eggnog does a ton to boost the fluffy cake-like texture of these muffins, so I found that I didn’t even need to add a lot of oil or butter to these muffins—Can I get a WIN-WIN?! 1/4 cup of oil along with 2 eggs, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup orange marmalade, and 1 cup eggnog just tied everything together texture-wise AND flavor-wise in these muffins.

Oh, and one last thing about the batter: Be careful not to beat this muffin batter to death when you go to combine the wet ingredients with the dry—Less stirring = Fluffier muffins.

Let’s talk about the topping every muffin (in my mind) should have: Super-simple, but so. dang. good. Granola. Preferably Quaker® Simply Granola which is my all-time fav breakfast cereal! Surprise, surprise! Granola isn’t just for milk anymore—it makes a fab topping for coffee cake, quick-breads, and clearly, MUFFINS.

You may use whatever granola you wish as topping for these these muffins, however I definitely prefer Quaker® Oats Granola to most other brands. It’s easily available and you can find it at your nearest Walmart! One of my favorite flavors is the Oat, Honey and Almond Granola—it’s perfectly crunchy, totally tastes homemade, and pairs so well with the cranberries and eggnog in these muffins!

Trust me on this too: You might just want to grab the box of cereal and go nuts—the stuff is addicting!

Kinda like these muffins, that have been the main star of my breakfast recently.

Okay, I rest my case. We’re lookin’ at pure heaven here, guys. ↓↓

So just to re-emphasize: Here is the order of what you absolutely MUST do this weekend, guys. →

#1. Make these muffins.

#2 Eat these muffins.

#3 Repeat step #2 until no muffins remain.

#4. Repeat steps 1-4. ♥

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Cranberry Eggnog Coffee Cake Muffins

Loaded with tart cranberries and generously topped with a heavenly granola streusel, these soft holiday muffins get their amazing coffee cake-like texture from a special ingredient: Eggnog!

This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

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Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 1 dozen muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup xylitol or sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup eggnog
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup fresh cranberries halved
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup granola

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk xylitol (or sugar) eggs, oil, eggnog, syrup, marmalade, and vanilla until smooth. In a separate large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Fold flour mixture into liquid, gently stirring until just combined (batter will be quite thick) Gently fold in cranberries and walnuts.
• Fill prepared muffin cups to the brim with batter and smooth tops. Sprinkle granola over top, pressing granola lightly into batter to adhere.
• Bake muffins at 425F 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 375F and continue baking an additional 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool muffins in pan 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.

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