Holiday Baking #23: Cranberry Orange Bread or Muffins

 This recipe is from my Mom, but since Mom doesn't like to write these recipe descriptions,  darn it,  I had to try the recipe too.  :) I was baking for a PTA breakfast at my son's high school, so I decided to make them into muffins instead of a loaf.  They turned out beautiful and round and looked so festive with the chopped cranberries.  They were the first item to completely disappear at the breakfast and with good reason---the orange and cranberry flavor combination was delicious and the texture was perfection.   Thanks Mom! 

 Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 Tbs. grated orange peel
3/4 cup orange juice
1 egg
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped (I threw mine in the blender for a few seconds)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)


Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs milk (I actually ended up using orange juice)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of loaf pan. Mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda; stir in butter until mixture is crumbly (you should still see chunks of butter). Stir in orange peel, juice, and egg just until moistened; stir in cranberries and nuts.

Spread in loaf or muffin pan.

Bake until toothpick comes out clean:  
8-inch loaf pan 1-1/4 hours.
9 inch pan 55 to 65 minutes,
Muffins 15 minutes;

Cool 5 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan and remove from pan. In the meantime, mix glaze ingredients until smooth. Frost warm loaf with glaze.
Makes one loaf

or 12 standard-size muffins. 

Enjoy!