These easy cranberry corn muffins are made with whole cranberries and corn kernels. They’re the perfect addition to your holiday meals!
For some reason I’ve only ever hosted the “difficult” holidays.
I think hosting Thanksgiving must be like childbirth, the only reason you’d ever offer to host that holiday multiple times is because you’ve forgotten how bad it really was the first time around.
Things I’ve learned from 3 Thanksgivings:
1. Resist the urge to use your china. Yeah, it’s pretty. Yeah, what’s the point of having it if you’re not going to break it out for a holiday meal. But seriously, just remember how many dishes come along with Thanksgiving dinner and then remember that China doesn’t go in the dishwasher. Turkey tastes just as good on a paper plate.
2. When people say “what can I bring?” don’t be so stupid to say “oh, just a bottle of wine will do, I’ve got the rest!” There’s just no excuse for that kind of lapse of judgment.
3. Do not attempt making “new” recipes that day. Specifically, popovers.
Yes, I was that person.
I thought Thanksgiving day with 10 or so people at my house would be the perfect time to try my hand at pumpkin popovers for the first time.
Ever made a popover?
They’re finicky little suckers and without a real popover pan I was pretty much doomed from the start.
That Thanksgiving is a complete blur to me.
All I remember is jumping up and down from the chair in the dining room to the kitchen to check on those stupid popovers that just wouldn’t “pop” about 10 times throughout the meal.
Between that, the dishes and catering to Ulysses who herniated a disc in his neck that morning and was screaming in pain on the bed upstairs unable to join us for any of the meal (we ended the day in the ER, that was fun!) the aforementioned 3 rules of hosting Thanksgiving were born.
This year, we’ll be homeless for Thanksgiving and temporarily living with my parents so I won’t be hosting per se, but I’m pretty sure my mom won’t be letting me sit on the couch all day while she cooks everything by herself.
So this year, we’re doing muffins not popovers.
These are easy cornbread muffins stuffed with whole fresh cranberries and canned corn kernels.
Cornbread is a staple on any Thanksgiving table, we’re just jazzing things up this time around.
My classic cornbread recipe is actually a gluten-free and vegan cornbread. It’s moist and tender, just a tad sweet with the perfect textured cornbread bite! Great for any occasion even Thanksgiving if you prefer a more traditional approach.
During the winter months, I always (well, except this year considering I’m homeless) keep the pantry stocked with canned vegetables and fruit to be able to easily add to baked goods or meals without having to worry about some foreign produce that was picked well ahead of its time ripening on my counter top.
The canned corn in these cranberry corn muffins makes it an easy muffin to throw together and definitely something WAY more approachable than popovers for a holiday meal.
Love cornbread? Try one of these recipes too:
Vanilla Pumpkin Skillet Cornbread
Bacon Jalapeno Herb Cornbread
Gluten-Free Cherry Corn Muffins
Strawberry Corn Muffins
Pumpkin Corn Muffins with honey sage butter
Cranberry Corn Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
- 1/2 cup whole kernel canned corn, drained
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a muffin tin with baking spray.
- Combine the flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the milk, egg and butter in a small bowl.
- Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix together.
- Fold in the cranberries and corn until incorporated.
- Scoop the batter into the muffin tin and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Peaches and pineapple.
Definitely sweet potatoes!
Tomatoes – and if they don’t technically count as a veggie, then it has to be pumpkin. :-)
Mine would be strawberries. I love them! For smoothies, to flavor water, or just to snack on.
I don’t stock any as I don’t used typically use canned fruits of veggies.
and I’m sorry to add this but I think you do an injustice to those who truly are homeless by referring to yourself in that manner. you have a mother to put you up, feed you and provide you with a kitchen and food – the true homeless and/or hungry do not.
I tweeted https://twitter.com/saltedplates/status/402636156958810112
I like keeping bananas and onions in stock always. Bananas make great snacks on the go as well as being perfect for baking and smoothies. Onions are in almost everything I make that is savory so they are needed constantly.
Favorite veggie to always have around? Do tomatoes count? They’re the one thing ALWAYS in my pantry..though frozen veggies in my fridge…sweet peas or edamame! These muffins sound soooo good by the way!
Sweet potatoes! I seriously eat one every day!
olives… Sorry- my daughter’s name is Olive, so used to typing the possessive. (She’s two, so pretty possessive.)
haha, this just made me laugh out loud :)