Cranberry Orange Oat Muffins - Good Cook Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipe #84

*Disclaimer - I am part of the Good Cook Blogger Program and received these products for review. All opinions and experiences are my own. 

Every year I make homemade cranberry sauce. We have a gorgeous abundance of cranberries grown here in Oregon... bet you didn't know that. Some are even grown and sold through the Ocean Spray cranberry growers. It is a local item we carry at the farm market. No, we don't grow them here on our farm, but they thrive well on the Oregon coast.

This year the fresh cranberries were especially lovely. Dry picked, they are lasting much longer than the floated alternative. We ate several straight after delivery and savored all the tart crunch each little berry packed.

With my Mom visiting from out of town, I actually made two batches of sauce. Good Cook challenged their bloggers to get creative with their leftovers, but I was up a creek if I didn't even have any leftovers to work with!

I was sent that lovely assortment of goodies before the holidays and knew I wanted to create an easy after-Thanksgiving muffin recipe. I mean, I am wiped out from turkey day and still have a house full of hungry people to please. I'm a people pleaser, people.

This recipe had to be a little healthy, not the average cake and fruit combo that gained Jim Gaffigan fame for his muffin/cake jokes. No, mine had to have whole wheat flour, oats, nuts and still let the tart gorgeous cranberries shine through.

Are you with me?

Now, I like to make my muffins pretty. Don't hate. I always save out a few extra cranberries, some walnuts and oats to decorate the tops. It doesn't take that much longer, but they sure do come out pretty.

This recipe was perfect to pair with a big mug of herbal tea.

Again, I created this recipe with the Good Cook Nonstick Muffin Pan, that holds 6 cups. I love how easily the pan washed up afterwards. My muffins baked evenly and the pan seems sturdy enough for all my muffin and cupcake needs.

Now, all the Good Cook bloggers are getting together to contribute their leftover best recipes. You can see the original article on Good Cook. Also be sure to browse the linky below the recipe for even more great leftover inspiration.

Cranberry Orange Oat Muffins

You Will Need:
1 c. flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. old fashioned oats
1 Tbsp. cake enhancer
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
1 1/2 c. cranberry sauce
3/4 c. whole milk
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 c. walnuts, chopped
Whole cranberries, oats and walnuts reserved for topping the muffins *optional

Preheat the own to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with baking papers. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl, mix together the vanilla bean paste, cranberry sauce, milk, oil and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just to combine. Fold in the nuts.

Fill each muffin paper just shy of the top. Mine were a little higher than 3/4 c. full. They won't rise too much. Bake for 20 - 22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Enjoy!