Allspice Cranberry Surprise Muffins

You would not believe how long this recipe has haunted me to post it. Oh, maybe it's not that hard. Yeah, I made these with the leftover Cranberry Relish from Thanksgiving. And then again for Christmas. And I still have a bag of frozen cranberries that I am seriously thinking about opening and using just for this purpose. These are SO good. They hit the spot every time!

Allspice Cranberry Surprise Muffins

For the Streusel:
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbs. light brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

For the Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cranberry Filling:

Cranberry Relish recipe

Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or line with paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

To make the streusel, put the flour, brown sugar, and spices in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add the bits of cold butter and toss, pinching the mixture between your fingers, until you have pea-sized crumbs. Set aside in the refrigerator. (The streusel can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.)

To make the muffins, in a large bowl whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, spices, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. The batter will be lumpy; that is how it should be.

Fill each muffin cup 1/3 full with batter. Add a spoonful of cranberry relish. Fill the remainder of the muffin cup with batter (only until about 3/4 full).

 Sprinkle streusel over each muffin, then use your fingertips to gently press the crumbs into the batter.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin. Cool completely on the wire rack. Muffins can be stored, in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Source: Adapted from browneyedbaker.com