Cranberry ORange oatmeal muffins

​How is it already the day after Thanksgiving?  I feel like fall flew by and the holiday season arrived so much more quickly than last year.  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family from near and far.  It was an evening full of great food, amazing company, singing, dancing and then more dessert.  I'm incredibly grateful.

Today's recipe brings you an easy, lighter and healthier muffin recipe to use up the cranberry sauce that's just sitting in your fridge in one of the many tupperware containers in there this week.  The recipe doesn't have any refined sugar and I used all oatmeal instead of regular flour so they may be a welcome whole grain breakfast after a holiday weekend of splurging.  The orange brings a bright flavor that combines nicely with the tart cranberries.  I made the whole recipe from start to finish in my Vitamix, which was a splurge on myself a few years ago due to a compelling QVC deal of the day, so required time and dishes are minimal.  I absolutely love this blender. I use it all.the.time.  I mostly use it for shakes and smoothies. I also ran it all the time to make baby food a couple of years ago, but I'm starting to use it more for baking too these days. 

Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins
(makes 12 servings)

Ingredients for Blender
-3 eggs
-1 cup Greek yogurt
-3/4 cup maple syrup
-1 tsp orange extract
-zest of 1 small orange (I used a Halotop Cutie)
-3 cups oatmeal
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 TBS cinnamon (you can use less or more depending on your preference)

Filling
12 TBS cranberry sauce (I made my cranberry sauce this year by combining 2 cups of orange juice, 3/4 cup of maple syrup and 4 cups of fresh cranberries.  Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer while stirring frequently until the cranberries pop and the sauce thickens.  This recipe is simple but you can't walk away from the stove (I know from experience!).  Keep stirring!

Optional Crumb Topping
-2/3 cup oatmeal
-2 TBS butter
-2 TBS maple syrup
- 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place the ingredients in the blender in the order listed.  Secure the top and insert the tamper.  Turn the Vitamix on low and use the tamper to help mix the ingredients.  Increase the speed of the Vitamix and continue to use the tamper until all ingredients are mixed thoroughly into a batter.  Using a small cookie scoop, scoop a small amount of batter into each of the muffin cups of a pre-greased or lined muffin tin.  Add 1 TBS of cranberry sauce on top of the batter in each muffin tin and then pour the remaining batter over the cranberry sauce in each muffin cup.

For the crumb topping, place the oatmeal, butter, maple syrup and cinnamon in a bowl and use a fork to mix and cut it all together. Sprinkle a small amount of topping on top of each muffin.

Bake the muffins in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes (check by using a toothpick to see if it is cooked all the way as oven times may vary).  Allow to cool in the muffin tin for 15 minutes and then place the muffins on a wire rack to cool further.  Enjoy the muffins and the very few dishes you will need to do after this recipe! 

Have a wonderful and peaceful holiday weekend!
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