Cranberry Pistachio Muffins #MuffinMonday

Cranberry pistachio muffins are great on their own for breakfast or teatime, or as part of your holiday buffet table. They aren’t just pretty, they are delicious as well!

When I wrote the first post introducing my new Muffin Monday group back in August of 2015, I had already shared 73 muffins, both sweet and savory, in this space. As we reach the end of 2018, you’ll find those plus another 37 muffin recipes here on Food Lust People Love, and links from my friends to many, many more! I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow bakers for joining me each month, adding extra value to each of my posts with their beautiful list of recipes. Love you all!

And as this is my final post for 2018, I’d also like to thank you, my readers. This year was a rough one for me, one of personal loss of family and friends that I hold dear, not to mention my wonderful kitchen helper, Beso the Boxer. My kitchen is a place of comfort and relaxation for me, a safe haven that keeps me sane. It gives me joy to create recipes to share with you and that saved me this year. Thank you for reading and commenting! A very special thank you to my email subscribers who get a short introduction in their inboxes whenever I post a new recipe. I appreciate you all! (Want to subscribe? Please click here or use the little box in the righthand column that says, Great Recipes - Free!)

Fun fact: My most viewed recipe of all time is a muffin! I posted these Cheesy Spinach Muffins back in 2013 and they’ve stayed on top ever since. No other recipe even comes close.

By the way, Happy New Year! Do you need some party appetizers perfect for New Year’s Eve or Day? Try my Black-eyed Pea Bacon Cocktail Muffins!

Cranberry Pistachio Muffins

Maybe you’ve got some whole berry cranberry sauce of the jellied kind left over from Christmas. If so, these cranberry pistachio muffins make perfect use of that abundance. If not, buy a can on sale and bake these babies for your New Year’s Day breakfast. I used the one from Ocean Spray.

Baking muffins for breakfast couldn’t be easier! Starting the night before, simply measure out your dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and cover with cling film. Whisk together your wet ingredients, cover with cling film and store in the refrigerator. When you wake up in the morning, turn the oven on to preheat and follow the recipe from where you mix your wet and dry ingredients together. Fresh warm muffins in fewer than 30 minutes!

Ingredients for 16 muffins
2 cups or 250g flour
1/2 cup or 100g sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml milk
1/2 cup or 120ml whole berry cranberry sauce (140g)
1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup or 60g slivered pistachios, plus extra for decoration, if desired

Also optional to decorate:
12 fresh or frozen cranberries

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your muffin pan by greasing it or lining it with paper or silicone muffin cups. A few years ago one of my lovely daughters gave me a set of silicone muffin cups from Crate and Barrel so I used those occasionally. They stand up on their own so you don’t even need a muffin pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the cranberry sauce, milk, oil and eggs.

Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them together until just mixed.

Fold in the pistachios.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. In the case of these 16, a 1/4 cup each was just about right.

Cut the fresh or frozen cranberries in half.

Sprinkle the muffin tops with more pistachio slivers to decorate. Then distribute the halved cranberries.

Bake your muffins in the preheated oven about 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for a few minutes and then remove the muffins from the pan or silicone cups to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Check out the wonderful muffins my talented muffin baking friends are sharing today!

• Bacon Cheddar Corn Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Bacon Scallion Corn Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Blackberry Muffins from Making Miracles
• Cranberry Pistachio Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Mini Donut Muffins from Passion Kneaded

#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. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

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