Cranberry Eggnog Muffins

December. I bought the ring. I went back to the jewelry store on my lunch break, hands shaking, wallet lighter than I've ever allowed it to be. The saleswoman remembered me — "The pierogi guy!" she said, because apparently I told her about the pierogi and now I'm the pierogi guy at every establishment in Milwaukee. She boxed it up with a velvet ribbon and I drove back to the brewery with a diamond in my jacket pocket and the absolute certainty that I was either doing the bravest or stupidest thing I've ever done.

The ring is now hidden in a coffee can on the top shelf of the kitchen cabinet that Megan can't reach without a step stool. I moved it from the brewery because having a diamond ring next to a bag of grain made me anxious. Having a diamond ring next to the coffee filters also makes me anxious. The ring makes me anxious. I am anxious.

Christmas prep. The Wigilia is at Tom and Linda's again — tradition is tradition. I'm making the mushroom soup, the pierogi, the fried fish. Colleen is bringing soda bread and the trifle. Patrick is bringing Jameson. Tom is bringing opinions. Megan is bringing me, and I am bringing a diamond ring in a coffee can, and nobody knows except Danny Katz and God and whoever reads this someday.

Made gingerbread cookies this week because Megan asked and because December needs gingerbread. The recipe is not Babcia's — Babcia made pierniki, the Polish version — but it's close enough. Flour, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, butter. Cut into shapes, baked until firm, decorated with royal icing by Megan, who approaches cookie decoration with the same intensity she approaches lesson planning. Her gingerbread men are immaculate. Mine look like they survived an accident. We are a team.

The gingerbread was Megan’s request, and I was happy to oblige—but while the cutters were out and the kitchen already smelled like cinnamon and cloves, I wanted something I could pull together on my own without a stencil or a steady decorating hand. These cranberry eggnog muffins hit every note the season asked for: tart cranberries, warm spice, the unmistakable richness of eggnog in the batter. December needed this. I needed this. Something to bake while the ring sat in the coffee can and I tried to act like everything was perfectly normal.

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
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup eggnog
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, halved
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease each cup with butter or nonstick spray.
Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined.
Combine wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggnog, melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Fold together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until just combined—do not overmix. A few streaks of flour are fine. Fold in the halved cranberries.
Fill and top. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over the tops if using.
Bake. Bake for 20–22 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 pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cranberry Eggnog Muffins — When the Kitchen Smells Like Christmas and You’re Keeping a Secret