Cranberry-Eggnog Muffins

Ingredients

• 0.5 cup apple juice 
• 2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder 
• 1 cup cranberries dried roughly chopped
• 1.5 cups eggnog 
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1.5 cups flour all-purpose
• 2.5 cups flour all-purpose
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• 0.8 cup brown sugar light packed
• 1.3 cups brown sugar light packed
• 0.5 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 0.8 teaspoon salt 
• 1 stick butter unsalted melted
• 1.5 sticks butter unsalted melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• oven
• whisk
• toothpicks
• muffin liners
• muffin tray

Directions

1. Prepare the muffins: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mist a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Warm the cranberries and rum in a small saucepan over medium heat, then remove from the heat and let steep 5 minutes.
2. Drain.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl.
4. Whisk the butter, eggnog, eggs and vanilla in another bowl. Gently fold into the flour mixture. (The batter will be lumpy; do not overmix.) Fold in the cranberries. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
5. Mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, salt and brown sugar in a bowl with your fingertips until it looks like wet sand.
6. Sprinkle generously over the batter.
7. Bake until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly in the pan, then carefully remove to a rack.
8. Photograph by Andrew Mccaul