Egg Nog Cranberry Muffins

Yes, until recently, I still had egg nog left over from the holidays, which is pretty amazing considering how much we LOVE egg nog in our family I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. But, I'm getting it out of my system until next holiday season; this is the last of the holiday-type baking. With that said, these muffins were really yummy. I wasn't sure how I'd like the tart cranberries with the sweetness of the muffin but they paired perfectly. The cranberries weren't too tart and I loved using fresh ones. The only thing I would change about this recipe would be to bake them in muffin liners. As you can see, I didn't and the outsides were a little browner than I would have liked.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup eggnog
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. rum extract
1½ cups coarsely chopped cranberries
cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line 14-16 muffin cups with paper liners. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir to combine. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, eggs, eggnog, melted butter and rum extract. Stir until well combined. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold the cranberries into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin liners, filling them about two thirds of the way full. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Bake for about 18-22 minutes, or a until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Calories per muffin (1/16):167

SOURCE:Adapted from Annie's Eats