Description
Bakery-style coffee cake muffins layered with sweet-tart leftover cranberry sauce and topped with a buttery crumb. Soft, cozy, and perfect for breakfast or a holiday treat.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
½ cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground green cardamom
Pinch of salt
⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
Coffee Cake Muffins
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
⅓ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup sour cream
1 cup leftover cranberry sauce
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners.
Make crumb topping: In a bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Stir in melted butter until crumbly. Set aside.
Dry ingredients: In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
Cream butter & sugar: In a stand mixer, beat butter, white sugar, and brown sugar for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, then mix in buttermilk, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients on low speed just until combined—do not overmix.
Add 1 tablespoon of batter to each muffin liner and spread to edges.
Add ½ tablespoon of cranberry sauce to the center, then fill with more batter to the top, fully covering the sauce.
Add a small spoon of cranberry sauce on top of each muffin.
Press 2–3 tablespoons of crumb topping onto each muffin.
Bake 20–25 minutes or until lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Rest muffins 5–10 minutes before removing from pan. Enjoy warm or room temp.
Notes
Store muffins in an airtight container for 3 days at room temp or 1 week refrigerated.
Freeze baked muffins for up to 3 months.
If your cranberry sauce is runny, simmer a few extra minutes to thicken.
For a citrus twist, add 1 teaspoon orange zest to your cranberry sauce.
Muffin batter freezes well for 3 weeks—thaw before baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert, Holiday Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 428 kcal
- Sugar: 33 g
- Sodium: 138 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 60 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 68 mg
