Cranberry Eggnog Muffins

I found this recipe over at the HomeBased Mom. This is probably one of the best muffins I've ever eaten. While baking the whole house smelled like Christmas.

Even if these are a couple of days old you can pop them in the microwave and for about 10 seconds and they taste like they're just out of the oven.

2¼ C flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 C plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar, divided

2 large eggs

¾ C eggnog

5 1/3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp. almond extract

1½ C coarsely chopped cranberries

1 C white chocolate chips

Streusel Topping:

½ C sugar

½ C all-purpose flour

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, slightly softened

½ C chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line 14-16 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a bowl, add together the flour, baking powder and salt and stir to combine. In a large bowl, add together 1 cup of sugar, eggs, eggnog, melted butter and almond extract. Stir until well combined. Add in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Do not over mix.

Chop the cranberries. I used my mini food processor and just pulsed a few times. Toss the chopped cranberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, and fold into the batter along with the white chocolate chips. Fill the prepared muffin lines 2/3 full.

Streusel topping:
Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or a fork until a coarse, crumbly mixture forms. Add nuts if using. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the muffin batter.

Bake for about 18-22 minutes, or a until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.