Wherever I bring these Cranberry Chocolate Banana Muffins I always get compliments. They look pretty with the dots of cranberry, so moist and very delicious. Use fresh, frozen or dried cranberries.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we were reminded of our trip to Plymouth, Massachusetts back in July, 2005. Abigail was six months pregnant with William and we took advantage of the chance to travel to New England before the baby
arrived.
We chose to go to Plymouth because we wanted to visit the site where the Pilgrims first settled and learn about their history. We were so impressed by the courage of the Pilgrims in the face of many hardships that we were inspired to name our son, William, after William Bradford the second governor of the Plymouth Colony.
During their arduous 60 day sea crossing Bradford wrote in his journal, “All great and honourable actions are accompanied with great difficulties and must be both enterprised and overcome with answerable courages“.
Their Christian faith enabled them to persevere in the midst of great adversity and establish a community where they were free to worship God according to His Word.
While in Plymouth we stayed at the Governor Bradford Inn. It overlooks the historic Plymouth Harbor where the Plymouth Rock and Mayflower II are located.
The Mayflower II is a reproduction of the original Mayflower vessel. It has been recreated to give a sense of what the original 17th-century ship was like. Seeing the inside of this very small vessel meant to carry only about 50-60passengers, (there were about 104 onboard), we were amazed at how the Pilgrims managed to survive the journey.
We also saw the cramped passengers’ quarters, the “hold” where they stored food, clothing, and other items needed to start the colony, and the very crude tools used in 17th-century navigation. The photo below shows the Mayflower II journeying from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1957.
On board the Mayflower II, you will meet actors dressed in period costumes speaking in 17th century English who will share with you what life was like during the voyage. We met Captain Myles Standish, the military advisor for the Plymouth Colony. He shared with us his experiences while on board and the death of his wife Rose upon arrival at Plymouth.
A monument to the Pilgrims who died during the first year in the Plymouth Colony.
Overall, it was a very successful trip and we’re glad we went. It is a trip that is highly recommended.
Now to a lighter note, here’s a lovely recipe that’s great for the holidays – Cranberry Banana Muffins.
FOR FULL RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS and to PRINT, SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW.
NOTES ON INGREDIENTS FOR CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFINS
- Sugar – I use white but feel free to use light or dark brown sugar, too.
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs – bring eggs to room temperature first before using.
- Plain yogurt – may be substituted with sour cream, too
- Banana – ripe and mashed
- Light olive oil or vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- Cranberries – coarsely chopped. Use fresh or frozen cranberries. If you wish to use dried cranberries or raisins, fully dehydrate first before using.
- Chocolate chips
HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFINS
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a bowl of an electric or hand mixer, crack the eggs and beat lightly just until combined. It can also be done by hand or manually. Add sugar, yogurt, banana, oil and vanilla extract and continue to beat in medium speed until it’s smooth and there are no big banana lumps roughly 1-2 minutes.
Adjust the speed to low and then slowly pour in the flour mixture. I try to do this in three parts to prevent the flour from splattering all over the place. Scrape the sides with a spatula after adding each flour. When everything is just combined, stop the the mixer. Fold in the cranberries and the chocolate chips.
Divide evenly into a 12-cup muffin pan with liners. Bake at 400 for about 18-22 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Oven heating/temperatures vary so adjust the time accordingly. I use a Demarle Flexipan – the muffin cooks faster here so you may have to adjust the time a bit if using a regular muffin pan. Let this serve as a guide. A friend of mine who made this recipe said it took about 22 minutes for her muffin to fully cook.
Leave it to cool a bit in the pan for about 7-10 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely. The muffins may feel soft when you lift them up but don’t worry they will harden as they cool down.
I love that this is just a balance of sweet-tart flavors and comes out really moist even after you have left it standing for a few hours. Moist and delicious cranberry muffins!
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Cranberry Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, room temp
- 1 cup sugar plus 3 tablespoons extra
- 1 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)
- 1/2 cup banana, mashed (about 1 1/2 bananas – you can use 2 bananas if you prefer)
- 1/4 cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a bowl of an electric or hand mixer, crack the eggs and beat lightly just until combined. Add sugar, yogurt, banana, oil and vanilla extract and continue to beat in medium speed until it’s smooth and there are no big banana lumps roughly 1-2 minutes. This may also be done by hand or manually.
- Adjust the speed to low and then slowly pour in the flour mixture. I try to do this in three parts to prevent the flour from splattering all over the place. Scrape the sides with a spatula after adding each flour. When everything is just combined, stop the the mixer. Fold in the cranberries and the chocolate chips.
- Divide evenly into a 12-cup muffin pan with liners. Bake at 400 for about 18-22 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
- Leave it to cool a bit in the pan for about 7-10 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely. The muffins may feel soft when you lift them up but don’t worry they will harden as they cool down.
- I love that this is just a balance of sweet-tart flavors and comes out really moist even after you have left it standing for a few hours. Moist and delicious cranberry muffins!
Notes
Last updated on October 26th, 2023 at 10:08 am
These muffins look fantastic! Yum!!
What a lovely blog you have! As fellow foodies, we can't wait to read more! New follower here 🙂
Have a great weekend,
Chloe & Sarah
Thanks, Chloe and Sarah! So glad you discovered us. Happy you stopped by. 🙂
Abby,
Thank you for being a smart little cookie when it comes to baking muffins! These are by far one of my favorite muffins; I have them booked marked in my computer so that I can make them at least once a month! What a great way to use up fully ripened banana. Before baking, I preheat the oven an additional 25°, when I place the muffins into the oven, I drop it down to the recommended temperature. This allows the muffins to grow substantially in size. Happy baking y’all, you will not be disappointed!
Author
So glad you enjoy these yummy muffins and adjusted it to your liking! Thank you for letting us know!
What a great recap of your trip, Abby! And, these muffins. Yum! They look so light and delicious after all the heavy food we've had these past few days.
Thanks, Valerie! They have become a household favorite. Glad you stopped by!
Sounds like a great trip. I haven't been there in years I need to bring my kids. Love your muffins thanks for sharing them on foodie friday.
Thanks, Diane! We had the trip before we had kids so we need to return there for them to see all this wonderful history. After all, they are born Americans. Glad you came by!
Love the color in the muffin. Never tried muffin with fresh cranberries though.
FlavzCorner
Hi Shibi! Thanks! I try to use fresh cranberries whenever possible 'cause I love the tart taste that it imparts – sort of balances the flavor. Glad you stopped by! 🙂
100 stars Abbie!!! My all time favorite!!! Melissa Juntunen
Awww! Thanks, Melissa! I am so delighted that you love these muffins! 🙂
did u use fresh cranberries? Can I sub with dried cranberries?
I used fresh cranberries but am sure it's fine with dried cranberries, too. Please enjoy Cecilia. Thanks for stopping by.
Yum
Abby- I just wanted to let you know that I found your recipe and made it today…I have already had 2 muffins!!!! Actually, the recipe made 22 muffins for me because I like them smaller and not pouring over the top. I love this recipe!!! I thought the cranberries might be a little tart but they are great! The only change I made was I added a tablespoon of flaxseed meal. Took 18 minutes for my oven!!! Thanks!! misshu@comcast.net
Thank you! I am so delighted to know you enjoyed it! Glad you stopped by!
I'm making these just as soon as I close the computer. I have a pile of turkey hunters coming in for brunch and since we grow cranberries, they'll be expecting some kind of cranberry treat. These look perfect. Thanks.
I just made them! We loved them, so soft and tasty 🙂 I used butterscotch chips and cranberries, they made quite a nice combo 😀 Thank you so much for sharing!
I make these muffins all the time, they are my family’s favorite. I have a house full of children no way to get to the store and I am out of yogurt. What do you think I could use in place of the yogurt
Author
You can use sour cream instead. I use either when I run out of the other. They both work well. Thanks and glad you like the muffins!!
These look so good and could accompany a meal or be a great breakfast or snack! Yum!
Author
So true! Thanks and enjoy!
These muffins look fantastic!!
These muffins look scrumptious!
Just made these muffins today, they are amazing! I didn’t have yogurt, so I used sour cream instead. Keeper:) Thanks for the recipe.
Author
I am so glad you enjoyed them! We often make these muffins and sometimes with sour cream, too. Thanks for letting us know!!
I made this today. It’s absolutely delicious! I used Greek Yoghurt and White Chocolate Chips! OMG! definitely a keeper! It’s now at the top of my favourite Muffins list! Thank you! ❤️ in my recipe collection, I named it Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Muffin, like the Cookie of a similar name
Author
So glad you enjoyed these muffins!
Just loved this and looking forward to making it again!
Author
So glad you enjoyed this and thank you for letting us know.
Made these before, very good!
Author
Yay! I am so glad to know that!