Cranberry-Orange Wild Rice Muffins

These tart-sweet muffins are low in sugar and rich in whole grains, which makes them a perfect grab-and-go option for busy weekday mornings. (Bonus: They are equally delicious alongside holiday roasts!)

Ingredients:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 3 teaspoons orange zest, divided
• 2 tablespoons coarse white deocrating sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Juice of 1 orange
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup cooked wild rice*
• Ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Lightly coat 6 (3 1/2-inch) jumbo muffin cups or 9 to 10 regular (2 1/2-inch) muffin cups with cooking spray; set aside.

2. In a small bowl combine chopped cranberries and 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar; set aside. For topping: In another small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons of the orange zest, the coarse sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of the nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the baking powder, coriander, the remaining 1 teaspoon orange zest, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and the salt. Make a well in the flour mixture; set aside.

4. In a large glass measuring cup, combine the orange juice with enough buttermilk to make 1/2 cup liquid. Add the beaten eggs and melted butter; whisk with a fork. Add orange juice mixture all at once to the to dry mixture; stir until combined. Gently fold in the cooked wild rice and reserved cranberry-sugar mixture.

5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with topping and additional nutmeg. Bake in a 400 degrees oven for 21 to 24 minutes for jumbo muffin cups (or 15 to 18 minutes for regular muffin cups) or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean and the tops of the muffins are golden.

6. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups. Serve warm or cooled.

Tip:

• *For rice: In a small saucepan bring 1 cup water to boiling; add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Slowly add 1/4 cup uncooked, rinsed wild rice and return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 40 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed. Drain, if necessary; set aside to cool.

Source: recipe.com