Recipe: Apple Cranberry Muffins
Published July 24, 2026
I found some cranberries in my freezer and decided some muffins were in order. Recently, I jump off the corporate ladder and am enjoying a summer off. One big goal I have for myself while not being tethered to an office chair is to work for myself and my home. So far it’s been a wild success- the kitchen stays clean (even with the increase in activity) and my butt hasn’t been this firm in recent memory.
It’s been so successful I’m questioning if I belong back behind a desk. A debate I’m still having with myself although I know I can’t afford to ‘play house’ forever.
Cranberry Health Benefits
Cranberries are amazing, they are full of antioxidants and are famously known to help fight urinary track infections. They are also reported to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects.
Dried Apple Benefits
I also threw in some chopped up dried apple slices to pair with the tart cranberries. Even though they’ve been dried, these apple slices retain most of the fiber, potassium, and antioxidants found in fresh fruit.
The Recipe’s Origin
The recipe I’m using today came from The Cranberry Connection recipe book by Beatrice Ross Buszek. I found this gem at Value Village for $1.99 and it came signed by Beatrice herself!
I love that this recipes in this book is hand written - you can genuinely see the work Beatrice put into making this book.
Looks like this edition was published in 1980. Like any recipe books from the 70s & 80s the “salad” recipes all involve gelatin… It was a dark time… But there’s still quite a few gems in this collection!
Apple Cranberry Muffins
3/4 cup cranberries
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp sugar
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk
4 tbsp melted shortening (I ended up using margarine)
Chop cranberries once (in half) and mix with the powdered sugar. Let stand while you sift all the dry ingredients together.
Add egg, milk and shortening/ margarine.
Gently fold in the sugared cranberries.
Grease or line a muffin tin. Scoop batter evenly into spots.
Bake at 350° F for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.
The muffins turned out nice and fluffy, the only thing it was missing was maybe a little spice. They are a little pale and could have benefitted from some cinnamon I think (noted for next time). Overall though I’m really happy with this recipe and appreciate Beatrice for her efforts.
