I know you’re already wondering to yourself, “Hmmm. Didn’t Arminda already give us the recipe for her amazing cranberry pineapple muffins?” Indeed, I did! And bonus points to you for remembering this post from March 2010.
But since all muffins are not created equal, I’ve been toying with the recipe some more, and think it’s much better now than then, and besides, I went and completely veganized the recipe – making it that much more impressive! Come on. You can be impressed.
But let’s talk cranberries for a brief moment.
- When I think about cranberry farms (admittedly, I don’t often think about these red berries in their natural growing environment, but when I do. . . ), I limit my thoughts to New England and assume these tart red berry wonders hail to us from the same land as maple syrup, but cranberries are grown commercially in Massachusetts, New Jersey (who knew?!), Oregon, Wisconsin, and Washington states, as well as in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland, and Quebec!
- Cranberries are harvested September to early November (this much I knew), and subsequently only available in stores during these months, also.
- Only approximately 5% of crops are sold as berries, while the majority are processed into some cranberryish product, like juices, sauces and dried berries.
- Cranberries are great for your heart health because they are full of antioxidants, are fat & cholesterol free, are a good source of dietary fiber, and contain flavonoids and polyphenolics!
- You can freeze whole cranberries for baking use throughout the year.
I really love incorporating cranberries into my baking during the cooler months; there are few things better than biting into a tart cranberry set against the backdrop of something sweet. These muffins are always a huge hit — and the combination of cranberries and pineapple dance a tango, both vying for my taste buds’ attention, with the pineapple finally submitting and representing the sweeter side while the cranberry raises its arms above its little red head in tart triumph.
Cranberry Pineapple Muffins, Take Two
Modified many times over from Mad About Muffins, by Dot Vartan.
Ingredients:
- Whole Fresh Cranberries - 1 cup
- Unsweetened Applesauce - 1/4 cup
- Non-dairy Milk - 1/2 cup
- Earth Balance (butter substitute) - 1/4 cup, melted
- Crushed Pineapple - 1/2 cup, drained
- Spelt Flour - 1 cup
- Wheat Flour - 1/2 cup
- Sugar - 2/3 cup
- Baking Powder - 2 tsp
- Salt - 3/4 tsp
- Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
- Ground Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
- Brown Sugar - 1/4 cup, reserved for garnish
- Additional Cranberries - reserved for garnish
Instructions:
Heat oven to 375℉. In a large bowl, combine the cranberries, applesauce, non-dairy milk, melted Earth Balance, and pineapple. In another bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir the flour mixture into the liquid mixture just until moistened.
Spoon batter into greased muffin tins or papers (if using silicone grease is unnecessary). Garnish the tops of muffins with extra cranberries and brown sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tester comes out clean!
Look Who’s Talking!