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January 24, 2011

Baking with Carla: dried cranberries crumb muffins



Yesterday I met Carla after 2 weeks without seeing her. I missed her and I wanted to bake something special with her. At the same time, it has been a rough period for my stomach and for Carla’s mom’s stomach too! So I decided that muffins with dried fruit could be a good choice for all of us. After all, we already had enough sugar with the mini baked donuts! And who says muffins are not special. These ones for sure were!


As is the case with many other recipes, what I liked of this one is the versatility. I made them with dried peaches because Carla had those at home but I have made them before with apples and also with dried peaches. Any dried fruit (and apples) really fits in here.



As some of you already know, Foodbuzz, Frigidaire and Jennifer Garner teamed up for an amazing campaign to inspire all families to cook more together through the Kid’s Cooking Academy. Each day you visit, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children. As you know, I’m a big supporter of baking with kids and of really letting them participate in the activity, so I’m loving this campaign! But in addition to this Foodbuzz and Frigidaire will donate $50 for every post submitted by a Featured Publisher. I’ve already submitted the mini baked donuts one but the more the better, so I am submitting this one too J

And now for the votes:
Carla: A
Carla’s mom: she was not there, I’ll let you know!
Me: A


Dried Cranberries Crumb Muffins
Ingredients

For the crumb topping:

32 gr (1.13 oz or ¼ cup) all-purpose flour
55 gr (1.9 oz or 1/4 cup) light brown sugar
57 gr (4 tbsp or ½ stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
5 gr (1 tsp) cinnamon
50 gr (½ cup) walnuts
2 gr (¼ tsp) salt



For the Muffins:

195 gr (6.75 oz or 1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
7 gr (1 ½ tsp) baking soda
2 gr (½ tsp) salt
2 gr (½ tsp) cinnamon
67 gr (2.37 oz or 1/3 cup) white sugar
55 gr (1.9 oz or ¼ cup) light brown sugar
180 ml (6 fl oz or ¾ cup) buttermilk
15 ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
1 large egg
5 ml (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract
1 cup dried peaches (or any other dried fruit; you can even use an apple instead)


Method

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Grease a muffin pan.

Prepare the crumb topping:
In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients with a fork. Set aside

Prepare the muffins batter:
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, the baking soda, the salt, and the cinnamon. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix the sugars, the buttermilk, and the oil until well combined.

Add the egg and the vanilla extract and whisk until well incorporated.

Finally add the dry ingredients and the fruit. Mix until just combined.

Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffins pan and generously top with the crumb topping.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted will come out clean.

Let the muffins cool down on a cooling rack before trying to unmold.

Have a sweet day!

26 comments:

  1. I've just heard about this event today and I think what you do every week with Carla is so perfect for it. So nice to see you participating since it's such a natural fit for you. These crumb muffins are the perfect balance of sweet treat and healthy.

    Have a great week, Sara!

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  2. I love the versatility of using a fruit of choice in this recipe. The interplay of the cinnamon and walnuts in the crumb topping must be sensational in contrast to the moist, buttermilk crumb of the muffin. Your photography is captivating!

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  3. Yay for baking with Carla! Already buzzed and RT'd. Sorry to hear about the tummy issues and missed the wee fingers, but a wonderful addition to the series. As always. Beautiful texture. Wonderful submission to the Kid's Cooking Academy.

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  4. hope you'll feel much better Carla.
    the muffins sound good. A great recipe for a great cause. those children deserve a lot more.

    Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe

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  5. The crumb topping makes these really special. What a great recipe and an even better cause.

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  6. Deliziosi Sara!!! Ho iniziato ad usare la frutta disidratata nei dolci proprio l'anno scorso ed i lamponi sono tra i miei preferiti! Le pesche non mi sono capitate sotto mano ancora, ma le albicocche sì e sono deliziosissime...tra cannella, noci e fruttini, crdo che questi muffins siano proprio buonissimi! :-D

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  7. I like walnuts in the crumbs and muffins with dried cranberries.. I guess the taste was lovely

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  8. I like the look of those muffins, crumble makes it much more interesting.

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  9. These muffins look so amazing! The crumb is really the best part :)

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  10. I love muffins, especially with walnuts and dried fruit. These muffins look gorgeous, and they are for a good cause.

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  11. Mmm, good healthy muffins and a perfect recipe for the frigidaire campaign! Glad to see they got A's!

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  12. I'm happy to see you got to spend time with Carla, those muffins look delicious, a perfect choice for a baking lesson. I love a nice crumb topping!
    Glad to hear your feeling better
    Dennis

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  13. You can never go wrong with toppings on muffins! These look so tasty!! It's great to see how passionate you are about involving your kids in the kitchen. I have very, very fond memories of spending time with my mom in the kitchen. If it weren't for those moments I don't know if I would love creating amazing [and healthful] meals.

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  14. What a nice change of pace with this muffin. Sometimes the body just needs a little something lighter. ;)

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  15. What a wonderful recipe to submit to this worthwhile cause. I need to get over there! I'm a big believer in cooking with kids - that's how my daughter learned to bake :) and muffins are special - especially muffins that are nutritious, delicious and have a crunchy crumb topping!

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  16. What a delicious looking muffin. I love cranberries in muffins, and the crumb topping takes the cake:)

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  17. I love the crumb topping and adding cranberries to the muffin, looks very yummy.

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  18. These look awesome! My favorite part is the crumb topping! I could eat spoonfuls of the topping alone :)

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  19. These are really lovely. I love lighter baked goods. You've given us light but retained that all important "delicious". I love the food and recipes you feature here. You've made it a wonderful spot to visit. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  20. I give them an A too even though I'm not there. I love baking with Dudette and am thrilled that you have Carla to bake with. I wish I could be a fly on the wall and watch the two of you!

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  21. wow this sounds so yummy:) thank you for sharing this..

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  22. I'm drooling - I love anything with a delicious crumb topping. These muffins are gorgeous!

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  23. Perfect recipe to share with Carla. I love the dried peaches. I love the grade you guys gave them. Have a great week!
    -Gina-

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  24. I enjoy a crumbly muffin top. It's almost required in my book.

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  25. Hope you are feeling better my dear. What a great recipe. Love how it's sweet and wholesome. And for a terrific cause too!

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  26. I love muffins with crumb toppings and I especially loved dried peaches! These muffins look just amazing and I will definitely be trying them out. I'm happy to see that you're back to baking with Carla, I so enjoy your posts about baking with her. :)

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