Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Oat Muffins

Over the past four years, I’ve honed in on my specific blog strategy. Love it or hate it, I’m one of those “tell you all about my life before I get to the recipe” type of bloggers. It works for some, but not so much for others. The answer to this, of course, is that I have very generously included a “Jump to the Recipe” button for those who just can’t stand the idea of reading any idle chit-chat before the lowdown on this delicious Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Oat Muffins.

Never say I didn’t do anything for you…

But today, as I sit here staring at my keyboard bearing the weight of grief on my shoulders for this world and all of its chaos, I don’t have anything to say. Anything worthy, at least.

But I’m going to try, not because I think my words will do anything, but because my heart is so heavy I’ve got to get them out. Maybe you’ll read them, maybe you won’t. But that isn’t the point. So feel free to scroll all the way down.

So here’s what I have to say about the state of this world.

Hate is winning on all fronts.

Somewhere along the way, people just got so damn angry that hate is like a coal-burning stove we just keep on shoveling into. Guns are available, and easily accessible to almost anyone, but when gun control is addressed the argument is “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people,” and the lobby wins. Meanwhile, the last time we had a mass stabbing that I can remember was, well, never. We’ve let the lobby win on this one and the rich keep on getting richer while we can’t even go to the movies, the mall, to freaking KINDERGARTEN, or the grocery store without a little thought in the back of our mind like “how will I escape if…”

That shouldn’t even be on our freaking radar.

We have made skin color the enemy and allowed it to divide us into fractions. When the real enemy, yeah, it’s not that. I don’t even know what it is. But we’ve allowed hate to win and now black mothers and fathers grieve their children at alarming rates and we sit around and blame “black on black violence” from our safe little bubbles without ever examining closely the way we ended up in a safe bubble and others did not.

Because we don’t want to look too closely at that lest we hurt our hearts or feel guilty for being white. I mean, after all, it wasn’t US that did it.

It should strike the whole world as ironic that the current debate is whether or not we should ban books from a black perspective lest we make our kids feel bad about history (so as maybe not repeat it) and NOT whether or not someone should have access to guns that could be brought into their school to inflict the most casualties possible in the shortest period of time.

We’ve allowed greed to control our laws and the decisions in our lives and we’re worse off for it all. Every time I think of how we live, so perfectly curated in our bubbles and angry at anything that threatens that, I just can’t help but think “we’re doing it wrong.”

So, yeah, my heart is hurting today. I feel sad for the world we’re leaving our kids and I feel no hope that we will eradicate this terrible hate that has seeped deep into the bones of our country. I’m giving myself space to feel this today. And if you feel this way, too, just remember it’s ok to grieve. But once the grieving is done, it’s time to stop sending out “hopes and prayers” and start doing something about it.

Don’t you think?

Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Oat Muffins

OK. I’m off my soapbox now and we can focus on the real reason for this post in the first place, these delicious little Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Oat Muffins.

Like a lot of my baking recipes, this one was a labor of love. Cooking recipes usually come together for me fast, with one take or two at the most to get the ratios right. Probably because cooking, unlike baking, is less a science and more an art. But baking, well, it’s a tough one for me because it’s so precise, your measurements and ratios have to be spot on in order to get the right rise, density, and moistness. It’s tricky sometimes, which is why these muffins took three tries to get right and I’ve had others that have taken many more.

It’s never a one-and-done recipe.

But, these Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Oat Muffins are worth every step because they’re just delicious. The gentle hint of spice from the cinnamon paired with the rich sweetness of the vanilla and the tartness of the cranberries make for a delightfully complex bite. Couple with the perfect amount of chewiness from the oats and the baked crispy outside shielding the moist inside and you might have yourself a perfect muffin.

I love these as a break from our traditional morning muffins, which always have chocolate chips in them because #kids and all, but if you really are opposed to cranberries or raisins, give it a try with chocolate chips. I bet it would be amazing.

And, as always, if you love muffins but these aren’t your jam, check out THIS great round-up post of all of my favorite muffin recipes.

Peace, love, and grief,

Meg

Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Oat Muffins

May 17, 2022

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By: Meaghan Dawson

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole oats
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter melted and slightly cooled
• 3/4 cup milk (I used whole)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 3/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat the oven to 400 and line a muffin tray with liners or spray the bottoms only with cooking spray.
• Step 2 In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients until combined.
• Step 3 Add cranberries and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
• Step 4 In a separate bowl, combine butter, milk, and vanilla, stirring until mixed completely.
• Step 5 Add egg, mixing well.
• Step 6 Pour wet ingredients over dry and stir JUST until complete combined. The batter will be slightly lumpy.
• Step 7 Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin cup 3/4 full.
• Step 8 Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes.
• Step 9 Best served warm.

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