CRANBERRY SOUR CREAM MUFFINS

Don't you just love it when you find a delicious-looking recipe and realize you have everything in your pantry/fridge to make it? No running to the grocery store, no borrowing random ingredients from the neighbors. You can just jump in and start baking.

This recipe comes from a fun little cookbook (thank you Nancy!) representing wonderful Arizona lodges, inns, and hotels. Garland's Oak Creek Lodge has several recipes including these excellent muffins. Someday I hope to spend a weekend at Garland's. When I do, of course I'll report back.

CRANBERRY SOUR CREAM MUFFINS

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups our cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together into a medium bowl and make a well in the center. Beat the egg and canola oil in a mixing bowl. Stir in the sour cream. Spoon into the well in the flour mixture and mix until the batter stick together and resembles biscuit dough. Do not overmix. Spoon into muffin cups sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Variations:

For Cranberry Sour Cream Muffins, plump 1 cup dried cranberries in orange juice and drain well. Fold in the cranberries, 1 teaspoon grated orange zest and 1 cup chopped walnuts.

Note: I toasted the walnuts before mixing them into the dough.

For Lemon Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins, fold in 1 cup blueberries and 1 to 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest.