Cranberry Sauce Muffins
Put leftover cranberry sauce to good use in these perfectly sweetened, super moist, orange-infused cranberry muffins. Delicious for breakfast, as a snack, or really any time of day.
There’s something very gratifying about using Thanksgiving leftovers to create great-tasting recipes. If you have leftover cranberry sauce, you’ve got to try this recipe for cranberry sauce muffins. These perfectly sweetened muffins have a moist, tender crumb and the simple streusel topping adds a little crunch to each bite.
While we’re on the topic of Thanksgiving leftovers, let’s talk about the safest way to handle and store them to prevent foodborne illness. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers four guidelines to follow to help keep your leftovers safe.
Follow the two-hour rule
Refrigerate perishable foods within two hours of coming out of the oven or refrigerator. After two hours, perishable food enters the temperature “danger zone” (between 40 degrees F and 140 degrees F), where bacteria can multiply quickly and cause food to become unsafe to eat. To prevent foodborne illness, discard perishable food left out for longer than two hours.
Use shallow containers to store leftovers
Store leftover food in small, shallow containers in the refrigerator. Shallow containers help cool leftovers more quickly than storing them in large containers.
Freeze or consume leftovers within four days
Use the Monday after Thanksgiving as a reminder that it’s the last day to safely eat leftovers. If you want to keep leftovers longer, freeze them within the four-day period. Frozen foods stay safe indefinity, however the quality will decrease over time (enjoy within two to six months for the best quality). For freezer storage, seal items in heavy-duty foil, freezer wrap, or freezer bags; proper wrapping will prevent freezer burn. Always date and identify food packages before storing them in the freezer.
Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees F
When reheating leftovers, use a food thermometer to ensure food reaches 165 degrees F. For safe microwave reheating, cover, stir, and rotate food for even heating. Safely reheat sauces, soups, and gravies by bringing them to a rolling boil.
When in doubt about the way a food looks or smells, the safest thing to do is throw it out. For more information on safe food handling, call the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854 or visit www.FoodSafety.gov.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Darlene
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CRANBERRY SAUCE MUFFINS
Yield: 16 servings
Serving Size: 1 muffin
Prep: 15 minutes
Ready: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Muffin Batter
16 muffin/cupcake liners or nonstick baking spray with flour (such as Baker’s Joy)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup neutral oil (such as avocado oil or canola oil)
1/4 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt (such as FAGE Total 2%)
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 to 2 teaspoons orange zest
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole cranberry sauce (canned or homemade)
Streusel Topping
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup pecan halves, chopped
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with muffin liners; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, oil, yogurt, egg, vanilla, and orange zest until combined. To a separate bowl, add all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir until well combined.
To the sugar mixture, add about a third of the flour mixture and stir just until flour begins to incorporate. Add about a third of the cranberry sauce and gently stir again. Alternate between flour mixture and cranberry sauce until ingredients are just combined, being careful not to over mix. Pour batter evenly (about 3/4 full) into muffin liners.
For streusel topping, combine oats, pecans, and brown sugar. Sprinkle each muffin with streusel topping. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool muffins on a wire rack.
Nutrition Information per Serving
197 Calories, 5 g Total fat, 0.5 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 11 mg Cholesterol, 132 mg Sodium, 35 g Total carbohydrate, 1 g Dietary fiber, 21 g Total sugars, 15 g Added sugars, 3 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 22 mg (2%) Calcium, 1 mg (6%) Iron, 23 mg (0%) Potassium
© 2025 RECIPES MADE HEALTHY BY DARLENE ZIMMERMAN, MS, RD LLC
