Easy Christmas Muffin Top Recipe (with cranberries and white chocolate)

If you happen to love the tops of muffins, I think you just might enjoy this small-batch White Chocolate Cranberry Muffin Top Recipe. These naturally colored Christmas muffin tops are a festive addition to any holiday breakfast, brunch, or snack.

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These naturally green-hued muffin tops are studded with white chocolate chips and red cranberries. And, as the unofficial colors of Christmas seem to be green, red, and white, I opted to call these Christmas Muffin tops.

Fun fact, or maybe essential fact, there is absolutely no green food coloring in these. In fact, these MTs (muffin tops) get their green hue from spinach blended into almond milk. And, in case you are wondering, these do not taste like spinach at all.

These Christmas muffin tops are spiced with a hint of ginger, cardamom, and almond extract. Ever so lightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, these MTs are packed with a tasty balance of sweet white chocolate chips and tart, dried cranberries.

What are the ingredients needed to make these Christmas Muffin Tops?

You will need the following 13 ingredients to make these:

1. All-purpose flour
2. Sugar
3. Salt
4. Baking powder
5. Ginger
6. Cardamom
7. Egg
8. Almond Milk
9. Spinach
10. Oil
11. Almond extract
12. Dried cranberries
13. White chocolate chips

Substitutions and variations

All-purpose flour: I used all-purpose flour to make these muffin tops. However, you can also use whole wheat flour or a gluten-free all-purpose flour as well. In my cookbook, Muffin Top Mania, I have several muffin top recipes that can be made with a combination of all-purpose flour and almond flour. I have found that the almond flour amps up the nutritional context of the muffin tops (giving them a slight protein boost) and it adds texture to them as well.

Sugar: I used brown sugar, but, you can also use granulated sugar. However, if you are watching your sugar intake, any zero-calorie sweetener could be used instead.

Ginger & Cardamom: I added a pinch of both of these spices into these muffin tops as i love flavoring my muffin top dough with aromatic spices. However, the ginger and cardamom could be substituted with cinnamon, a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice even.

Almond milk: As I am lactose intolerant, I used almond milk in this recipe. Any other nut milk, like macadamia nut milk or cashew milk, could be used. Or, even coconut milk could be used instead. However, if lactose intolerance does not plague you, then feel free to use cow’s milk.

Spinach: I used frozen spinach in this recipe. I thawed out the spinach and blended it with the milk so these muffin tops would have a natural green color, much like I did when making these Halloween muffin tops. I recently heard of dried spinach which could also be added in for color, instead of having to blend the frozen spinach in with the milk. I am just not a fan of artificial food coloring and try to avoid it as much as I possibly can, hence the spinach in this. But, I assure you, these muffin tops do not have a spinachy taste at all!

Oil: The extra virgin olive oil that was used in this recipe can be substituted with any oil of your choice or even some melted butter.

Almond extract: I feel that pure almond extract blends so deliciously with cardamom and ginger and that is the reason I used it in these muffin tops. However, if you use cinnamon or nutmeg, pure vanilla extract can be used instead.

Dried cranberries and white chocolate chips: As I was trying to make these muffin tops look festive for the holiday season, I opted for dried red cranberries and white chocolate chips. However, you could also use raisins and milk chocolate chips. Or semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped fresh cherries can also be used, like in these chocolate cherry muffin tops.

Additions

Walnuts, pecans, or pistachios can be added to these Christmas muffin tops.

If you want to make these extra festive, then a couple of tablespoons of roughly chopped candied red and green cherries can be added in too.

How to make these Christmas Muffin Tops?

I simply love muffin tops as they are so tasty and easy to make.

• To start, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. I use a gas oven and this temperature works well. However, with an electric stove, the temperature and time might need to be adjusted for the best results.
  
• After that, add your dry ingredients together into a medium bowl and mix them until all ingredients are well incorporated.

• Then, thaw out the frozen spinach. I did this by placing the frozen spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and zapping it for 30 seconds. Then, using a small blender or immersion blender, blend the spinach and milk together. Then, strain the green milk so any chunks of spinach will be separated out.
  
• Add the green milk to the dry ingredients, along with all the other wet ingredients, and mix well.
  
• Add in the white chocolate chips and cranberries and stir well. The batter will be thick.

• Then, add spoonfuls of the batter onto a Silpat lined or parchment-lined baking tray, to form rough mounds or muffin tops, and bake these in the 375-degree oven.
  
• When these are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for about 20 minutes before you remove them from the Silpat or parchment. If you try to remove them from the Silpat while they are warm, they will break. But, when they are cool, they hold their texture and shape well.

How to store leftovers of these muffin tops?

Leftovers of these Christmas muffin tops can be stored in a parchment-lined airtight container, in the refrigerator. Leftovers stored this way will last 7-10 days, depending on several factors such as the container, temperature of the refrigerator, and other factors.

Can these Christmas Muffin Tops be frozen?

These muffin tops can also be frozen. To freeze, wrap each muffin top in plastic, place them in a plastic freezer bag, and seal it. Then store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

When you want to eat one, remove it from the freezer bag, unwrap the plastic, and place it on a saucer until it comes to room temperature. If you are in a hurry, these can be reheated by placing them on a microwave-safe plate and microwaving them on high at 30-second intervals, until the muffin top is heated through.

These Christmas Muffin Tops are my contribution to The 2024 Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange.

The 2024 Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange

This year is my 6th year participating in the Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange, which is an annual, virtual, cookie exchange organized by Erin of The Speckled Palate and Susannah of Feast + West.

This year we are raising money for Cookies 4 Kids’ Cancer, which is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative, and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.

Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted nearly $18 million to pediatric cancer research. From these efforts have stemmed 35+ treatments available to kids battling cancer today.

Help us raise money for this important cause! Donate through our fundraising page.

Another exciting thing is that Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is in a matching window with their friends at OXO, meaning OXO will be matching every dollar raised through the end of 2024, up to $100,000. Whatever money we raise will automatically double on our fundraising page!

Do you love the tops of muffins?
Then make sure to grab a copy of Muffin Top Mania!

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think of it, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin or #savoryspin. For more fusion, spice-filled, recipe ideas, please subscribe and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest!