This muffin recipe is great for a holiday breakfast, brunch, or snack, and it also comes in handy if any of you happen to have eggnog left over after the holidays. I always buy eggnog every year—it doesn’t seem like the holidays without it—but I always end up with extra. And it’s so rich, you can’t really drink a lot of it. So baking with it seems like the perfect way to finish using it up.

These muffins have dried cranberries in them for an extra touch of sweetness. They’re really yummy muffins…they actually have a cupcake-like texture. The eggnog flavor isn’t very strong, so I think it’s safe to say even non-eggnog fans would like these.

One thing you don’t want to do when making these is overfill your muffin cups! I filled mine a little too full and the tops rose a little too much and spread over the edges of the muffin cups, making them tricky to remove from the pan. Fortunately, I was using non-stick pans so I was able to remove them without breaking any muffin tops, but next time I’ll make sure just to fill each muffin cup 3/4 full of batter. That should give you a nice rounded–topped muffin that doesn’t run over the edge.

This recipe makes 2 dozen muffins, plus 3 to 4 additional ones…so you’ll get about 27 to 28 muffins. I didn’t have 3 muffin pans, so I just filled a mini loaf pan with the extra batter and baked it right along with the muffins. The Creamy Egg Nog Glaze makes a great topping for these muffins, and you can make them even prettier by sprinkling some dried cranberries and chopped nuts on top. If you have extra eggnog, give these a try…or keep them in mind for next year!

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EGG NOG–CRANBERRY MUFFINS by NancyC

Makes 27 to 28 muffins

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 1/4 cups egg nog
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Line several muffin pans with 27 to 28 muffin liners; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in large bowl. Beat in eggs.

In medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder and add alternately with eggnog to butter-sugar mixture in the large bowl. Fold in dried cranberries.

Pour or spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake at 325˚F for 26 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, then add egg nog glaze…

CREAMY EGG NOG GLAZE

• 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 5 to 6 Tablespoons egg nog
• dried cranberries and finely chopped nuts for garnish

Mix powdered sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon together in small bowl. Add desired amount of egg nog to get the consistency you want (I used 6 Tablespoons for my glaze). Spread or drizzle over each muffin. Top with dried cranberries and chopped nuts.

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So keep these muffins in mind for a holiday breakfast, brunch, or tea. It’s a yummy way to enjoy your egg nog! 🙂

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