Sourdough Cranberry Muffins with Cardamom Crumble

Big bakery style cranberry muffins are made with sourdough starter discard and topped with a crumble spiced with cardamom.

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I'm continuing my sourdough baking kick this year with this recipe for sourdough cranberry muffins with cardamom crumble. I've made these several times over the past couple of months and they disappear fast.

I froze a few bags of fresh cranberries after the holidays when I found them on sale for only 25 cents a bag (what a deal)! So, I've been using those in my baking frequently. However, I've made these same muffins using frozen blueberries and they are equally delicious.

This is the time of the year where I am working through all the food I preserved over the last year to make room in the freezer and pantry for the upcoming food this summer and fall. We always have blueberries in our freezer from the previous summer's picking, too.  

I love the flavor and aroma of cardamom. However, if you don't like it, or you don't want to buy it specifically for this recipe, please feel free to substitute cinnamon for a deliciously spiced crumble (or leave out the spice completely). 

These sourdough muffins are pretty versatile is what I'm saying. I've been making the cranberry and cardamom version the most frequently though and that's what I'm sharing in this recipe.

I love a big bakery style muffin, and especially one with a crumble topping. The crumble topping adds such a nice touch of texture, flavor, and sweetness to the muffins. 

Since I have had quite a bit of sourdough discard this past winter, I've been trying to use it all up in many different ways. Muffins are one of my and my family's favorites! 

My kids love to have muffins as an after school snack or as part of their breakfast along with scrambled eggs and fresh fruit. My husband always likes to bring one in his work lunchbox for his mid-morning snack.

This muffin batter is quite thick as you can see from the photos. When you are stirring together the batter, don't be alarmed about the thickness, but you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk if it seems too thick. You want all the dry ingredients to be thoroughly incorporated. 

There is a lot of crumb topping, too. When adding it you want to gently press it down into the top of the batters so it doesn't fall off as the muffins bake and rise. 

For these muffins, I like to use jumbo size muffin tin liners to help hold the larger muffins. I still bake them in my regular muffin tin, but the larger size liner helps hold in all the crumb topping.

Muffins are always welcome as a snack, breakfast addition, or to bring to a friend or family member. Take them to your office or a party. 

These muffins will last for several days and are easy to grab and go. I love to have mine with an afternoon cup of tea while reading my book. 

I plan to try this recipe with other fruits as well. I think next time I will try a firm apple like a Granny Smith and an apple pie spice in the crumble topping. Frozen blackberries are on my list, too. 

Yield: 12 muffins

Author: Amy B (Savory Moments)

Sourdough Cranberry Muffins with Cardamom Crumble

Big bakery style cranberry muffins are made with sourdough starter discard and topped with a crumble spiced with cardamom.

Ingredients

for the muffin batter

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard/unfed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons milk, optional

for the crumble topping

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with muffins liners (I like to use Jumbo size).
2. In a small bowl, mix together the crumble ingredients. Use your fingers to clump it together as best as possible and then refrigerate until needed.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Stir in the cranberries.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sourdough starter, eggs, Greek yogurt, and vanilla until well combined.
5. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until combined. If the batter is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk (or water).
6. Distribute the batter evenly into the lined muffin tin. Top each muffin with some of the cold crumble.
7. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
8. Let the muffins cool for about 10 minutes and then remove them to a cooling rack to fully cool.
9. Store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.

Recommended Products

Jumbo muffin tin liners

I hope you give these sourdough cranberry muffins with cardamom crumble a try! Let me know in the comments below.

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Check out these other sourdough recipes:

Sourdough Oatmeal and Jam Bars

Sourdough Maple Pecan Bread 

Sourdough Banana Bread

Overnight Sourdough Pancakes 

You can find a lot of muffin recipes on the blog, too!