How to make and photograph Browned Butter Cranberry Lime Muffins:
1. Walk to the coffee shop around the corner for a small cup of coffee. Drink it.
2. Plug in your camera battery.
3. Look for your camera’s memory card.
You can’t find it. Ok… no problem. Keep looking.
Still can’t find it. Ooooookkk. Look some more. Maybe it’s in that spot that you’re absolutely positive you left it last. No? Can’t find it?
Super impatient? I understand. Camera phone will do. It just will.
4. Find your phone.
5. Arrange cranberries and lime on that white thing that you like.
6. Try to get the kitten to move.
The kitten doesn’t want to move. The kitten wants to play.
7. Just let the kitten play. Fine. But he will have to be locked up in just a minute.
8. Melt butter until browned and whip up some batter with fresh cranberries.
9. Top with granulated sugar and bake.
10. Photograph and eat warm. Go get more coffee if necessary.
11. Don’t share with the kitten. Sorry kitten.
Browned Butter Cranberry Lime Muffins
makes 12 muffins
7 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lime
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar for topping
Put a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper or foil liners
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep an eye on the butter. Melt and cook down the butter until little brown bits appear in the pan. The crackling will subside and butter will begin to brown fairly quickly after that. Keep a close eye. Remove from heat.
Whisk milk, egg, yolk, vanilla and lime zest until combined. Add the brown butter and whisk to combine.
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl Add milk and butter mixture all at one and stir gently to combine. Gently but thoroughly fold in the cranberries.
Divide the batter among muffin cups and spread evenly.
Generously sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes then remove from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
126 Responses
One of the cutest blog entries I’ve ever read!!! Your blog (and kitten) are sooo adorable! :)
Thank you so much for this recipe – I baked the muffins to take into work for my birthday and they went down a storm. I did struggle a bit with browning the butter, mostly through impatience I think. How long should it take? I will be making this again later in the week, possibly in cake or loaf form so any tips would be appreciated!
I made these last week and they were delicious!……..Thank you so much for the recipe….. I enjoyed It..
Made these yesterday and they might be some of the best muffins I’ve ever made. Thanks for the recipe, Joy!
Joy, do you think I could make the batter the night before baking in the morning? I was planning on making these for thanksgiving morning but didn’t want to add another thing to make the day of.
I made these this morning and they were delicious!
ohhhh …. the kitty is precious!
Joy, is it possible to make a cake instead of cupcakes? I do not have a muffin pan, so I was wondering if this recipe will work well when baked in a springform, one giant cupcake, what do you think?
this would be great as a 9-inch cake! just keep an eye on it in the oven, i don’t know off the top of my head how long it’ll need to bake.
I made this as a cake yesterday for a New Year’s party. I added two large eggs, instead of 1 whole egg + 1 yolk, to get a slightly runnier consistency. Instead of using a springform I used a bundt tin, which helped me with the timing. As far as I can remember it only took about 35 minutes to cook through. Hope that helped.
Joy – I just made these this morning and they turned out wonderfully! This was my first j the b recipe to try and it was a great one. Aside from adult beverages, I had never tried cranberry with lime – just with the standard orange, but it was a great combo and the lime really helps to counteract with the tarntess of the cranberry. Love it!
love cranberries
these look soooo good — but could I make them with frozen cranberries instead?
Mmm, it’s like cranberry sauce in a muffin! Yum-o!
Ok, so I didn’t make these but I WAS inspired by them to make both cranberry orange muffins and cranberry orange bran muffins yesterday. I froze them. They’ll be a delightful snack during the week.
You obviously have a much better phone than I do. Sorry, I kinda got distracted by that … was there a recipe, too? ;)
These sound delicous. I’ve a new found love for browned butter :)
These are great! I just made them yesterday and am making more today. I decided I needed to freeze some (hope they freeze well) for Thanksgiving. My husband even liked them, and he hates cranberries.
Thanks for the delicious recipe! I made these as soon as I saw the post!
https://teaberries.typepad.com/teaberries/2010/11/cranberry-lime-muffins.html
Just made these. Heaven is all I can really say, and I’m not even the biggest fan of cranberries. But brown butter is my weakness.
These are honestly amazing. I praise you, girl.
Oh dear me…I just made these & ate one, ….or two. They are fantastic! You.Are.A.Genius! I had to use orange zest because I’m out of limes. Lovely, delicious recipe. Thank you!!
I like your white thing too
I made these yesterday and they were wonderful…a hit with both my husband and I. Loved that they weren’t Really sweet and that sugary crust on top. Yum.
I have been overly obsessed with cranberries this fall, and love love anything limes. I am going to make these for sure + lots more coffee!
Perfectly balanced flavored muffins-sweet with a hint of zest.I love browning butter for certain recipes.So much more flavor.Very sweet little kitten.God bless.
These sound very yummy!
I kind of ran home and made these last night – they are great! And my kitten (also an orange tabby!) definitely tried to steal the muffin liner from me this morning.
I had to read this twice……….I was kitten consumed the first time. SO CUTE!!! The muffins look soooo good!!!! Can not wait to try!!!
These look great – cranberries and brown butter yum. Can’t wait to cook some up. Thanks
LOL…what we do for our kitties! Mine never want to move either! Very cute!
But there’s one important bit of information missing in this recipe!
I won’t be able to prepare this recipe without this information.
What. Is. The. Kitten’s. Name?
“Don’t share with kitten. Sorry kitten.” Lol You crack me up sometimes you know?
I wouldn’t share with my kitten either (but maybe a few people) those muffins looks scrumptious. I have a new recipe to add to my bake list!
I love everything about these muffins! Browned butter! Cranberry! Lime! All of it :)
Hi Joy!
I’ve been following your blog for a while, but have yet to comment. I just wanted to tell you that I think you are fabulous, and I love reading your posts. They make me smile, I cannot wait to try all of your wonderful recipes, especially the pear spice cake with walnut praline icing! yummmmm :)
Love it!
I cannot believe how incredibly talented you food bloggers are. You’re very clever and funny as well. Well written about the muffins and the kitten.
Deb
you’re very kind Debbie!
These sound delicious!! They sound like Thanksgiving with a twist!
hahaha Wow! What an odyssey. I think that you just earned yourself even more of these yummy muffins as a reward for your amazing tenacity in the face of photographic tragedy. Yep. More muffins. :D
Will definitely be baking these – soon. Browned butter is my latest obsession and these sound divine. Pretty much love any baked good with cranberries ;-) Pop. Thanks Joy. And Kitten.
Up next, browned butter peanut butter and chocolate pop-tarts.
I think my arteries just seized up a little. Totally worth it.
TJ
oooh man! you’re a smart one.
Looks lovely.. thanks for the reminder.. I need to venture out and scour for some fresh cranberries…
I love how the pictures look so vintage-esque! Favorite!
Of course, anything with limes in it sound delicious to me. Not to mention cranberries! : )
Your kitten looks good in red and your muffins sound spectacular!
Any blog post with a kitten sneaking into the photo is a post after my own heart… :)
That kitten is so cute- If my dad wasn’t allergic, I’d definitely beg my parents for one. Too bad…
Anyway, regarding the muffins, do you think I could use coconut oil instead of the butter? I don’t know if it’ll brown, though…
Kitty! I love the hipstamatic app (I assume that’s what you’ve used!).
I need an ice-cream scoop.
YUMMI!!!
THESE ARE BEAUTIFUL!!
I’ll try them…but I haven’t seen cranberries here….maybe I’ll change them for raisins or other fruit…maybe I can found some raspberries or blueberries in walmart…
thanks a lot for sharing this!
XOX
these muffins sound amazing. and that kitten is adorable.
How did you know I have a bag of cranberries in my fridge I need to use?
These muffins remind me of my drink of choice at the moment….cranberry juice on the rocks with a nice chunk of lime squeezed into it….YUM!
So random but so delightful looking!! PS do you design your own headers? They are adorable.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! Kittens! I mean… MUFFINS!
Those muffins just scream to be consumed whilst still wearing pjs!
Oh those look tasty! And the kitty is adorable! Both my cats are “too old” to play around all cute like that anymore! I’m going to make those…. not today, but very, very soon!
i love the iphone photos – how did you get the red hue? were you using a particular camera app?
Oh Joy why do you tempt me so with your browned butter muffin goodness? I can’t wait to try these ones out. I better get myself to the gym now because if they are ANYTHING like your browned butter blueberry muffins or your browned butter lemon poppy seed muffins; I am in huge trouble!
Baby-Kitty just wants to be where you are! You are his whole world! So, how did you know that I still have half a bag of limes I’m trying to use up? I am making these muffins today! I only have dried cranberries but I’m sure they’ll work just fine. Cranberry and lime… just sounds awesome together.
O.k. I lied. I didn’t make them yesterday… but I made them today and my oh my! They were flat out awesome. I plumped some dried cranberries in liquid and they worked great. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
I want to squeeze that cat a little too hard so it makes a noise. That’s how cute he is.
Muffins look divine- making for breakfast and calling in.
YAY! A muffin recipe with no nuts!!! :) Thanks Joy. I’ll definitely be trying these out soon.
Interesting yummy-sounding recipe! I take hipstamatic photos if I’m making something at night because they end up looking better than what my actual camera would take.
Kitten is sooooo precious! By the way, are those both your men in the second photo? Looks like a pair of boy feet next to the kitty. :)
Hey Joy! This recipe looks great, and your cat is toooooo cute! Also, just wanted to let you know, I’m not sure if it’s just my computer but all of your comments have not been showing up for me. Like it will say 51 comments and show only one, but when I click “see previous comments” it will go down to 3 comments and only list 3. Not sure if it’s just something funky with my computer but wanted to let you know it’s been happening on your last 5-6 posts for me:)
FYI – I’m experiencing the same issue Lucy is with only being able to see a handful of posts, and half the fun is reading all of the super creative posts. Oh, and I totally agree that kitty is a cutie, and I feel like my eyes have been opened to something new and wonderful – brown butter in muffins – yummm!
Me three on not being able to read the comments!
Browned butter? Sign us up. Great to see you at Foodbuzz!
Wow, brown butter in a muffin! How come I did not think of that ?! Oh, yes, because when it comes to muffin, it has to be superfast to make…. well, I’ll have to try these for sure ! I like the way you wrote this one ! :)))
I’m not making cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. Not because I don’t like it but because there are too many other things to eat and make. You have helped me figure out how to prevent open rebellion in my family: I will make these for breakfast. Brilliant. Wish I had a kitty to help me, though.
Kittens never coopoerate when you need them too – that’s what makes them so dang awesome.
Muffins look fantastic!!!
Super cute kitten! These pictures are sweet- the red ‘glow’ makes them look old-fashioned.
How did you know I’ve been dying to make something with cranberries?! I even bought them yesterday. I’m sooo making these this weekend! Yum can’t wait.
Your kitten is so cute! And I kinda like the fact that you didnt share the muffins with her! :)
wow, these muffins look fanastic! such an awesome flavor combination. i would like one (actually more like two or three) with my morning coffee :)
Yum. Serious yum. Plus a kitten, which just makes them incredibly more amazing.
Welcome to the world of kitty land. Endless romping and shenanigans. Oh and sleeping and lap cuddling!
Love the flavor combination of these muffins. Cranberries in bread are so darn tangy and delicious.
I am in love with that kitten! Your pictures look like antiques – tres cool.
This is perfect! I’m on this whole baking with cranberries this month so you KNOW I’ll be making these this weekend! Thanks :)
i feel like if you somehow got some orange up in here, these could be cosmo muffins (cranberry + orange + lime). vodka not required!
Cute Story! The muffins look delicious!
Ok the recipe is ok, but what i love the most is the kitten’s unwilling-ness to be moved. LOL to cute
so adorable! I used to foster kittens and one of them absolutely loved eating butter. It definitely caused some problems when I tried to bake, and turned around to find my kitten licking the butter…
This reminds me I need to stock up on fresh cranberries and freeze a bunch before they disappear. Thanks Joy – your blog is the first one I read every morning……..Twyla Marti
Love your kitten – takes his/her place and stays there! :)
hahaha! Kittens!
Love the hipstamatic photos!
OMG. Making it tonight. Can I borrow your kitten, or is a labradoodle sufficient?
shuuuut up! labradoodle!!!!!
SEVEN tablespoons of butter?! c’mon Joy, don’t be shy! Lets make it an even 8 and keep away from butter nubs (they’re always fallin out of the fridge anyway). Looks like the perfect treat for a holiday in the tropics…serve warm with frozen margarita or Tecate. nom nom nom.
fine fine fine… go one and make it 8!
These muffins look delicious and your iphone photos are awesome! Thanks for sharing :-)
I simply just love your blog. What can I say. It is fun to read without being too wordy. And the recipes are the extra bonus! thanks!
One word…YUM!
Super cute post!! Love the iphone photos :)
It’s like you read my baking-brain! This weekend, I discovered a bag of frozen cranberries that I purchased in JANUARY. Yep, a whole 10 1/2 months ago. Wondering if it was time to toss them, I checked out the fine print: “Will keep frozen for up to a year.” Score. Now what to make with them? Looks like Cranberry Lime Muffins are on the menu :)
I love cranberries, and just bought a huge bag of fresh ones so this is perfect! And, of course, brown butter makes everything wonderful. Yum!
Beautiful photos…the vintage look is perfect. These muffins will be a weekend bake for me for sure. Your playful kitten boy is going to have fluffy coat…so handsome!
These sound perfect for my turkey day guests. Will make ASAP. Thanks for the inspiration!!
Those photos are lovely. Really. I’m smitten.
Cuuuuute. Just added this recipe to the insanely long list of ‘gotta try this’ I’ve got piled up.
I think these muffins need more adjectives! :)
Also, I’m not sure how I feel about lime + cranberries in a muffin; it sounds like a pretty tart experience. Am I correct in assuming the vanilla mellows the flavor out? Or does the tartness get baked out? Or am I completely wrong? :)
the crunch sugar on top helps with any tartness. and the muffins aren’t to lime-y at all. yum.
Wow, amazing use of the camera phone photos in a pinch. Gorgeous!
I don’t know which is sweeter, the muffins or the kitten! Thanks for the great recipe, I heart browned butter!
Haha…kitten doesn’t want to move. Kitten wants to play.
I LOVE CATS! And I’d love a muffin right about now!
Indulge the kitten… he is devine.(And so is the thought of one of those muffins right about now)!
If only our iPhone pics looked that fabulous! And cranberry lime brown butter!? Swoon. Like really big swoon.
Yay, I was planning on making muffins today and I totally have everything to make these already!! I love the pics too… they look vintage :)
Made these muffins yesterday and they didn’t ride and form a nice crown. Too much butter and/or milk. The flavor profile is yummy but too much fat for the leavening to do it’s job.
Dang. Poor, poor, kitty. I think that I really need to do something with browned butter soon. All the signs point to it.
Anything with browned butter has my heart.
those photos look all vintage-y cool—-like you applied one of those things pioneer woman calls an action on her photo tutorials!
AGHA GAHAAGHAHAHHAHHHhhh
That was the sound of my jaw dislodging because of the weight of the drool. And my attempt at telling my flatmate to come over and have a look at the delicious photographs.
Thanks for sharing, Joy!
Well I have been up since four-thirty. I am already hungry for a good breakfast and low and behold yum cranberry lime muffins. Can’t wait till the store opens. Great pics. Paulette
Kitten is PRECIOUS. and the muffins look pretty darn good too. Thanks Joy! :)
Interesting combination for muffins! I love the idea :)
Oh my! Your kitten is so cute! My kitten always wants to play when I’m trying to take photos of food. Naughty kitty.
Looks delicious. And I love your kitten.
what a perfect muffin for thanksgiving time! great for brunch the next day
talk about looking through rose-tinted glasses. love the flavours!
Oh YUM! I made the Molasses Chocolate Chip cookies tonight and they are about gone (darn that sea salt was the ‘icing on the cookie!) so will have to make these this week :D
hihi love the kitten! so cute!
It’s amazing how well camera phone photos can turn out. Sometimes my best shots are taken on my iPhone.