Cranberry Eggnog Muffins are the PERFECT Christmas muffins recipe. With the nutty taste of delicious eggnog and bursts of tangy cranberries in every bite, these muffins can easily become a holiday tradition.
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When you think of Christmas, a few things come to mind. Chocolate, a million types of cookies, gingerbread, eggnog, and cranberries. While there is obviously more to Christmas than just food, we have to admit that the holiday feast and goodies are a great way to keep the spirits up.
I love the sweet, nutty, tangy bites of these eggnog cranberry muffins, and everything from the smell to the bright colors has me feeling jolly. I usually eat them two at a time, but that's okay because calories don't count during the holidays, or so I've heard. Ha.
For more Christmas recipes, make sure to check out these Cranberry Pecan Shortbread Cookies, Cranberry White Chocolate Cheesecake, and 25 Christmas Breakfast Ideas.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients. Most of the ingredients in this recipe are simple pantry staple ingredients like flour, sugar, and baking powder. That means any shopping that you'll need to do will be minimal.
- We use real eggnog! While we do use some rum extract for added flavor, we need actual eggnog in the muffin batter. This is great for using up leftover eggnog in the fridge.
- You can omit the cranberries. Adding the cranberries really makes these muffins fun, festive, and colorful, but you can omit them if you want. The muffins still taste great without them.
🛒 Ingredients
Streusel Topping. A simple mix of granulated sugar, flour, nutmeg, rum extract, and butter creates a sweet, crumbly topping.
Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and helps create a tender muffin crumb.
Baking Powder. Gives the muffins the lift they need as they bake.
Eggnog. Moistens the batter and provides that classic eggnog flavor.
Fresh Cranberries. Add a bright, tangy pop in every muffin. Save extras for Cranberry Orange Sauce. If using dried cranberries, use leftovers in our Cranberry Orange Sourdough Bread and Cranberry Orange Bagels.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Buy cranberries in season. Fresh cranberries are most affordable during the fall and winter months and freeze well for later baking.
Stretch the streusel topping. This recipe makes extra topping, which can be saved and used on future muffins, quick breads, or coffee cakes.
Substitute extracts wisely. If you already have vanilla extract on hand, use it in place of rum extract to avoid buying a specialty ingredient.
🥄 Instructions for Cranberry Eggnog Muffins
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F, line a muffin tray with paper liners, or spray with cooking grease.
Step 2: In a bowl, combine all of the dry topping ingredients until well mixed. Add in the melted butter and mix just until crumbly. Set aside.
Step 3: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until smooth.
Step 4: Mix in the eggs until smooth.
It should look like this.
Step 5: Mix in the baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and rum extract.
Step 6: Add in the flour and the eggnog, alternatingly, until both have been combined.
Start and end with the flour.
Step 7: Fold in the halved frozen fresh cranberries.
Step 8: Stop once fully incorporated.
Step 9: Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Add streusel, you will have some leftovers.
Step 10: Bake in the oven at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Pre Freezing Cranberries. Freeze fresh cranberries for at least one hour before baking. This makes them easier to slice and helps prevent red streaks in the batter.
- Substituting Rum Extract. If rum extract is unavailable, use double the amount of vanilla extract instead. The flavor will be slightly different but still delicious.
- Eggnog Replacement. If you run short on eggnog, substitute half and half or milk for the remaining amount. The flavor will be milder, but the muffins will still turn out well.
❄️ Storage andMake Ahead
Storage: Store Cranberry Eggnog Muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Make Ahead: Muffins can be baked in advance and frozen for up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature before serving. Leftover streusel topping can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
These cranberry eggnog muffins pair nicely with fresh fruit, yogurt, scrambled eggs, or a light breakfast spread for holiday mornings or brunch tables.
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❓ Cranberry Eggnog Muffins FAQs
This eggnog muffin recipe is good for 2 days. If kept in an airtight container at room temperature, your muffins can last about 2 days before becoming stale. For longer storage, freeze them.
Keep your leftover streusel topping in a sealed bag in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. When ready to use, grab what's needed and enjoy.
You can use either fresh or dried cranberries, depending on your preference. Dried cranberries add a chewy texture, while fresh cranberries provide bursts of tartness.
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🐝 If you tried these Cranberry Eggnog Muffins, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Eggnog Muffins
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup granulated sugar - ($0.18)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour - ($0.07)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg - ($0.04)
- ⅛ teaspoon rum extract - ($0.04)
- 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted - ($0.31)
Muffins
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened - ($0.50)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar - ($0.27)
- 2 large eggs - ($0.30)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder - ($0.10)
- ½ teaspoon salt - ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg - ($0.08)
- ¼ teaspoon rum extract - ($0.08)
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour - ($0.33)
- 1 ¼ cup eggnog - ($1.50)
- 1 cup fresh cranberries, frozen and halved - ($0.99)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line one or two muffin pans with liners. This recipe makes about 17 muffins.
- Make the streusel topping. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, nutmeg, and rum extract. Stir in the melted butter just until crumbly. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Add the eggs. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing for about 1 minute until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Add the baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and rum extract, mixing until combined.
- Alternate liquids and flour. Add the flour and eggnog alternately, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated.
- Fold in the cranberries. Gently fold in the frozen, halved cranberries until evenly distributed.
- Fill and top. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling about two thirds full. Sprinkle generously with the streusel topping.
- Bake. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the muffins are lightly golden on top.
- Cool. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool before serving.
Notes
- Freeze cranberries. Freezing cranberries for at least 1 hour makes them easier to cut and prevents red streaking in the batter.
- Rum extract substitute. Vanilla extract may be used in place of rum extract. Use double the amount for best flavor.
- Eggnog swap. If needed, replace part of the eggnog with milk or half and half for a milder flavor.
- Storage. Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for longer storage. Leftover streusel topping can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Nutritional Information
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Lightly Adapted from King Arthur Baking Easy Holiday Eggnog Muffins Recipe.
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