Cranberry-Pecan Muffins
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 14, 2013
Time
1¼ hours, plus 30 minutes resting
Yield
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons granulated sugar 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, softenedpinch salt ½ cup pecan halvesMuffins
1 ⅓ cups (6 ⅔ ounces/189 grams) all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 ¼ cups pecan halves, toasted and cooled1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (7 ½ ounces/213 grams) granulated sugar 2 large eggs 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly½ cup whole milk 2 cups fresh cranberries 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugarBefore You Begin
If fresh cranberries aren't available, substitute frozen: Microwave them in a bowl until they're partially but not fully thawed, 30 to 45 seconds.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Process flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, and salt in food processor until mixture resembles coarse sand, 4 to 5 pulses. Add pecans and process until pecans are coarsely chopped, about 4 pulses. Transfer to small bowl; set aside.
- Spray 12-cup muffin tin with baking spray with flour. Whisk flour, baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt together in bowl; set aside.
- Process toasted pecans and granulated sugar until mixture resembles coarse sand, 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer to large bowl and whisk in eggs, butter, and milk until combined. Whisk flour mixture into egg mixture until just moistened and no streaks of flour remain. Set batter aside 30 minutes to thicken.
- Pulse cranberries, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and confectioners’ sugar in food processor until very coarsely chopped, 4 to 5 pulses. Using rubber spatula, fold cranberries into batter. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups, slightly mounding in middle. Evenly sprinkle streusel topping over muffins, gently pressing into batter to adhere. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 18 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin on wire rack, 10 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
for the streusel
for the muffins
Time
1¼ hours, plus 30 minutes restingYield
Makes 12 muffinsIngredients
Streusel Topping
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, softened
pinch salt
½ cup pecan halves
Muffins
1 ⅓ cups (6 ⅔ ounces/189 grams) all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups pecan halves, toasted and cooled
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (7 ½ ounces/213 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
½ cup whole milk
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, softened
pinch salt
½ cup pecan halves
Muffins
1 ⅓ cups (6 ⅔ ounces/189 grams) all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups pecan halves, toasted and cooled
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (7 ½ ounces/213 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
½ cup whole milk
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, softened
pinch salt
½ cup pecan halves
Muffins
1 ⅓ cups (6 ⅔ ounces/189 grams) all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups pecan halves, toasted and cooled
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (7 ½ ounces/213 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
½ cup whole milk
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
To tame the harsh bite of the cranberries found in most cranberry-nut muffins, we chopped the cranberries in a food processor and tossed them with confectioners’ sugar and a little salt (which we often use to tame the bitterness in eggplant). As for the nuts, we took a cue from cakes made with nut flour and augmented some of the all-purpose flour with pecan flour (made by grinding pecans in a food processor). But because we were working with less flour, our muffins spread rather than baking up tall and self-contained. We fixed the problem by letting the batter rest for 30 minutes. Resting allowed what flour there was to become more hydrated, resulting in a properly thickened batter that baked up perfectly domed. To replace the missing crunch of the nuts, we simply topped the muffins with a pecan streusel.
Before You Begin
If fresh cranberries aren't available, substitute frozen: Microwave them in a bowl until they're partially but not fully thawed, 30 to 45 seconds.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Process flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, and salt in food processor until mixture resembles coarse sand, 4 to 5 pulses. Add pecans and process until pecans are coarsely chopped, about 4 pulses. Transfer to small bowl; set aside.
- Spray 12-cup muffin tin with baking spray with flour. Whisk flour, baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt together in bowl; set aside.
- Process toasted pecans and granulated sugar until mixture resembles coarse sand, 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer to large bowl and whisk in eggs, butter, and milk until combined. Whisk flour mixture into egg mixture until just moistened and no streaks of flour remain. Set batter aside 30 minutes to thicken.
- Pulse cranberries, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and confectioners’ sugar in food processor until very coarsely chopped, 4 to 5 pulses. Using rubber spatula, fold cranberries into batter. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups, slightly mounding in middle. Evenly sprinkle streusel topping over muffins, gently pressing into batter to adhere. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 18 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin on wire rack, 10 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
for the streusel
for the muffins
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