Cranberry Orange Muffins

A few weeks ago, we had the delight to travel with our oldest daughter to Scranton area as she competed in the Janet Rothenberg Memorial Gymnastics Meet. We stayed in a BEAUTIFUL Raddison hotel. If you have the chance, check it out - and get a salad because they have the most incredible citrus champagne viniagrette, I could have drunk VATS of it!!!

Anyway, due to the time in the morning that we needed to report for the meet, we ordered room service for breakfast. One of them included cranberry orange muffins. They were good....but not worth room service prices for sure.

I've been smelling, tasting, and desiring for the last few weeks, I decided to raid my pantry stock of Aldi goodies to see if I could recreate - or rather reinvent - these delicacies.

As it turns out, I actually had the Southern Grove Dried Whole Cranberries in my cabinet leftover from Christmas baking! Therefore, doctoring up the blueberry muffin recipe on the Baker's Corner All Purpose Baking Mix made these tidbits more than possible. A reality, in fact!

Cranberry Orange Muffins

2 Cups Baker's Corner Baking Mix ($1.89/box - has about 10 cups per box - .38)
1/3 Cup Sugar (2.29 for 5 lb bag - used very little....going to guestimate .20)
2/3 Cup Milk ($3.59/gallon - .08)
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil - ($2.49 for 32 oz - .21)
1 Tbs Sugar (.01)
1 Tbs Vanilla Extract (1.99/2 oz - .40)
1 Large Egg (1.29/dozen - .11)
3/4 Cups Dried Cranberries (I got this package on sale for 1.29 when Aldi was clearing out - so basing on that - .97)

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix together baking mix and 1/3 Cup sugar. In a separate bowl, mix together milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. Gently fold in dried cranberries. Place in greased muffin tin (or line with paper liners), fill almost full, using the 1 tbs of extra sugar, sprinkle the tops of the filled muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes. (watch that you don't overbake as that will dry them out).

I calculate the total to be $2.36 for this whole recipe. You can get 6 (for filled almost to the top) or 10 (filled about 1/2 to 2/3 way to the top). So that works out to be $.39 to $.22 per muffin.

Take that Otis Spunkmeyer!

:)