Pumpkin and cranberry are two great flavors to enjoy for the holidays! I really like these Pumpkin-Cranberry Muffins because they have dried cranberries, golden raisins, chopped pecans, and spices mixed in the batter—they just seem perfect for this time of year! You don’t really need a glaze for these, since they’re sweet enough on their own, but I’ve included a recipe for Cream Cheese Icing that you can spread or drizzle over these muffins if you like!

These muffins are perfect for an autumn or holiday breakfast, brunch, or snack and this recipe makes 32 moist, delicious muffins—so you’ll have plenty to eat, share, and use in your holiday goody packages! 🙂

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PUMPKIN-CRANBERRY MUFFINS by NancyC

Makes 32 muffins

• 3/4 cup  (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup golden raisins
• 2 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Optional: Cream Cheese Icing (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line muffin cups with paper liners; set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.

In medium bowl, combine flour and next 6 ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg). Add chopped pecans, dried cranberries, and golden raisins to flour mixture, tossing to coat. Then add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture alternately with the pumpkin puree, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stir in vanilla.

Spoon batter into lined muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake at 350˚F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in muffin pans on wire rack for 5 minutes; remove from pans and let cool completely.

If desired, spread or drizzle with cream cheese icing. These muffins are so tasty, you don’t really need icing on them. But here’s the recipe if you want to try it…

CREAM CHEESE ICING

• 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Half & Half (light cream)

Blend cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until creamy; gradually add powdered sugar, mixing until smooth. Add Half & Half, 1 Tablespoon at a time, mixing until it has a spreadable consistency (the icing will be thick for spreading on the muffins—add more Half & Half if you’d like a thinner consistency for drizzling instead).

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Pumpkin and cranberry-flavors are so good in a muffin! What are some of your favorite holiday muffins?

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