Wintery Weather Warning means Time to Bake!

I had so many plans this morning to get my house and errands taken care of before all the fun weekend football games.  I even woke up early to take on the opportunity of an early start...

I woke up, stretched, got a cup of hot hazelnut coffee (love my husband!) and then it struck me... Why were all the windows white?  I opened the door to take a peak, it happened:  The First Winter Snowfall.  Of course this wouldn't hold me back, I could overcome the mounds of snow quickly covering my porch and driveway.  Even my cat, who thinks he is a mountain lion, decided to run out and, for the first time in his life, experience snow.

Maui the "Mountain Lion"

So where I planned to go out and run errands, I needed to fill in the gap.  My husband, a man who easily adapts, found himself on the couch, computer in hand, and game day playing on the TV.  Me, I found myself thinking, what is the best way to melt this frost?

And then it hit me, Fresh Winter Muffins!  I remembered I bought some cranberries, and being me I never find it hard to find anything one can dream of in my pantry.  And so I said, "Aimee, why not make a Cranberry Orange Muffin" to make today melt into sheer joy?!

So literally not but 20 minutes from waking up, I pulled out my tools and whipped up some fresh breakfast:

Cranberry Orange Muffins

What You Need:

3 1/2 cups Flour

2 Sticks Butter

1 cup Sugar

1 tsp Orange Extract

Zest of 1/2 Orange

1 cup Fresh Cranberries

2 Eggs

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 cup Milk

To start add the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat together. Add the eggs, milk,  and extract and blend.  Next, add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.  Fold together lightly so not to over mix.  

In a food processor add the cranberries and 1/3 cup sugar.  Pulsate 4-5 times to chop.  Mix into the muffin batter.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, or until golden brown tops.  These are awesome served with butter and a dusting of powdered sugar!  

I didn't dust these ones with sugar until after the photo, and they were so adorable because they had a fresh layer of "snow"!

Just to say it, these look amazing with the snowy background, so while looking for my mountain lion pet, I took my fresh baked muffins out to snap a few shots with pine trees in the background.  Now with my coffee, muffins, and husband in hand, I will say today was a great success, even if the original to do list was left behind!  And I had to post another picture as the sugar made these perfect!

May the snow melt with your warm baking treats!!

XOXO,

Aimee Gonzalez