Apple Cranberry Muffins

The governor declared a state of emergency Wednesday and the schools went online by Friday. The grocery store in town was short on some things — flour and canned goods mostly, the usual targets of panic buying — but we had what we needed. We always have what we need. That's what a working pantry is for.

I've been thinking about the particular position a Montana ranch occupies in a national emergency. We are, without trying to be, exactly as prepared for isolation as the times require. The cattle don't care about a pandemic. The horses need their feet trimmed on the same schedule. The farrier work continues because you cannot postpone the hooves — an unshod horse with overgrown feet will go lame and that's that. I called each of my accounts this week to check in. Most of the ranch owners are older and cautious and all of them said they still wanted the work done. I'll continue with extra care and distance where possible.

Dad is doing well on the medication — steadier, more energetic in the mornings, though he tires earlier in the afternoon than he used to. He and Mom have been playing cards in the evenings, cribbage, which they've played since before I was born. I sit at the other end of the kitchen table with a book and listen to them count their hands and argue mildly about scoring. This is one of the better things I know.

Baked sourdough twice this week because flour is available and time is available and the bread is useful. I gave one loaf to Tom Whelan when I dropped by to check on him. He's seventy-eight and lives alone and I've been making a point of the check-in visits. He answered the door in his Carhartt and said he was fine and could I come in for coffee. I could. We drank coffee for an hour and he told me about his first year working horses in 1968 and I listened and that was time well spent.

The sourdough is for the long bake — the one that takes patience and planning — but some mornings call for something quicker, something you can pull together before the farrier calls come in and leave on a neighbor’s doorstep without a second thought. These apple cranberry muffins are that kind of baking: honest, unfussy, made from what a working pantry already holds. I’ve brought a batch to Tom Whelan’s more than once, and they travel well.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 22 min | Total Time: 37 min | Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup peeled, diced apple (about 1 medium apple)
3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons coarse sugar, for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat. Heat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly with butter or cooking spray.
Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined.
Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently with a spatula until just combined — a few streaks of flour are fine. Do not overmix or the muffins will be tough.
Fold in fruit. Gently fold in the diced apple and chopped cranberries, distributing them evenly through the batter.
Fill and top. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle coarse sugar over the tops if using.
Bake. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and the tops are lightly golden.
Cool. Let muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Apple Cranberry Muffins — Baked From What the Pantry Gives You