Your leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce is the key to these super delicious Gluten-Free Cranberry Sauce Muffins. They make for a lovely morning or afternoon snack with coffee! 
Do you have leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce? Really, who doesn’t, is the probably the better question.
I’m always surprised that the morning after the Thanksgiving or Christmas feast, I wake up hungry. In fact, starving. What’s up with that!?
I’m also always surprised that I have SO MUCH leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce. Every year, I don’t think there will be quite enough, so I make more at the last moment. Why I’m actually surprised each year, is beyond me.
Here’s the deal, I think people do love cranberry sauce, but in small amounts. Like a couple of tablespoons per plate. It’s really to make a mostly savory plate, a little bit sweet.
These quick and easy cranberry sauce muffins can so easily be whipped up with some of your leftovers. Or all of your leftovers! Then you can freeze some of the muffins for later, too.
My leftovers came from this Spiced Cranberry Sauce, which is oh-so-good!
I love these warmed up with butter melting over them for breakfast or brunch.
I decided to make them with corn meal and gluten-free flour so my son with Celiac Disease could enjoy them. And the subtle corn flavor is divine with leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce — especially the spiced one (above).
They would be so yummy with my favorite cup of coffee.
So if you find yourself with a ton of leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce, as I will be, I suggest these sweet, soft and delicious cranberry sauce muffins.
Oh, and you might also love Spiced Tea Cranberry Sauce from Family Spice. The spices are similar, but it also includes Earl Gray tea! Really any version would likely work well for cranberry sauce muffins. I just love the recipes with spices because it make the muffin even more tasty!
Enjoy every last muffin!
Your leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce is the key to these super delicious gluten-free muffins. They make for a lovely morning or afternoon snack with coffee!
- 1 cup fine cornmeal
- 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose I like Trader Joe's brand or Bob's Red Mill
- 1/4 cup golden brown sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup Spiced Cranberry Sauce Get the recipe here.
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup golden brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, adjust a rack to the center of the oven and prepare a muffin tin with 12 paper cups.
-
In a large mixing bowl, combine the first six ingredients, and mix to blend. Set aside.
-
In another large mixing bowl, gently whisk the eggs with the buttermilk until smooth. Add the vanilla and cranberry sauce and mix until everything is evenly incorporated. Then fold in the melted butter.
-
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the well, and mix everything together.
-
Divide the batter among the dozen paper cups.
-
In a small bowl, use your fingers to blend the sugar, butter and cinnamon. The mixture should be in tiny pieces when you're done. Sprinkle this evenly over each muffin.
-
Place the filled muffin tin in the preheated 350 degree F oven, and bake until they're set and are just beginning to turn golden, 17 to 20 minutes.
-
Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for at least 15 minutes. Then remove them and cool them on a rack for about 30 minutes.
I love using the my Spiced Cranberry Sauce recipe, but you can use any cranberry sauce you'd like to -- whatever you have leftover should be perfect! To add flavor, if you use one without spices, add about 1-1/4 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves to the recipe.
These look perfect for breakfast on the post-Tgiving w/end!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Bella. xo
Hope you tried them! 🙂
What a great recipe for leftover cranberry sauce! After all the Thanksgiving cooking a quick yet flavorful way to begin the day is perfect!
Thanks, Deb! I am forever making too much cranberry sauce.
You know, it is always the foods AROUND the Thanksgiving turkey that appeal to me the most – the potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce. And then the next day, it is all about how to play with the leftovers. This is a great way to use the leftover cranberries!
I agree — I love the foods around the turkey. And they’re so good mixed together in one bite. 😉
This is fabulous for leftover cranberry sauce! Of course, I eat leftover cranberry sauce as is, cuz I love it so much! I’ll have to save some for these muffins! Thanks for the link love!
I love cranberry sauce as is too! 🙂