#MuffinMonday ~ Cranberry White Chocolate Muffins

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#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

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These muffins are pretty fantastic. I really loved the flavor of the batter - it's moist, tender, lightly sweet and lightly spiced and the tartness and brightness of the cranberries complement the flavor very well. However, I felt the white chocolate chips were unnecessary. The chips all settled at the bottom of the muffins, and I thought they were just "extra" without really adding anything to the muffin. The cranberries are the star of these simple and tasty muffins. I found they definitely needed to cool pretty completely before removing them from the muffin tin as they are fairly soft and the sides wanted to rip a little when still warm even after loosening with a butter knife.

Here are all the tasty muffins to take a peak at today:

• Apple Carrot Muffins from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Blueberry Cornmeal Sourdough Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cherry Chocolate Chip Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Cinnamon Molasses Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Cranberry White Chocolate Muffins from Making Miracles
• Peanut Butter Cup Filled Chocolate Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Sour Cream and Green Onion Corn Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Spicy and Sweet Hummus Muffins from Kelli’s Kitchen
• Strawberry Vanilla Yogurt Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts

Cranberry White Chocolate Muffins adapted from Averie Cooks

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons half and half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
generous pinch salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Generously spray 14 muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or line with cupcake liners.
2. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment add the butter, sugars, and cream together on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the eggs, sour cream, half and half, vanilla, and beat on medium high speed until combined, about 2 minutes.
4. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and blend on low speed just until combined (do not over mix).
5. Add in the white chocolate chips and cranberries and fold in by hand with a spatula.
6. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin tin openings.
7. Bake at 425F for 5 minutes and then, without opening oven door, turn oven temp down to 350F and bake for another 18 to 20 minutes (total baking time is about 23 to 25 minutes), or until muffins are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Allow muffins to cool in pan on a wire rack for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until they've firmed up and are cool enough to handle. Remove from muffin tins and allow to finish cooling on wire rack. Store for up to 1 week in an airtight container.