These Cranberry Muffins with Butter Sauce are out of this world. A tender cranberry muffin drenched in a butter sauce that is to die for! You’re going to fall in love!!

(Originally posted November 18, 2019)
I shared this recipe six years ago and had to bring it back into the spotlight right before Thanksgiving because these Cranberry Muffins and Butter Sauce are THAT good!
I’m not even sure where to begin about these Cranberry Muffins other than to say you really, really need to make these for Thanksgiving. These have been part of our Thanksgiving dessert spread for as long as I can remember. Let me try and explain this dessert . . . A delicious, slightly tart, not too sweet muffin drenched in a delectable butter sauce. Have I got your attention?
I come from a long line of dessert lovers. Which explains why at Thanksgiving our dessert selection usually consists of no less than six or seven different choices. While there is always two or three new ones to try, there is always these Cranberry Muffins with Butter Sauce.
Quick story about these muffins . . . My ward asked me to do a cooking demo of a fall dessert for a ward Relief Society activity, and have that be the dessert also for that night. I immediately thought of these muffins and couldn’t wait to share them.
After I did the demo and dinner was over, we brought out the muffins and butter sauce. I would give anything to have had a video camera set up in that room. The faces of these women with every bite they took and the sounds and words coming out of their mouths was priceless. I told them that my family has been known to lick our plates after the muffin was gone so we could get every last drop of the butter sauce. My cute friend lifted up her plate, and said “you mean like this” as she started to lick her plate.

The best was when I took the plate that had been used to set the ladle from the butter sauce on (so obviously it was covered in butter sauce) over to a table with these three darling ladies and they all took their fingers and started scooping up the butter sauce and licking it off their fingers.
You guys, these muffins were a hit that night! I heard so many ladies say these muffins were going to now becoming part of their Thanksgiving meal. I also think I converted many non-cranberries lovers that night. Woo hoo! You’re going to love them!
SHOULD I USE FRESH OR FROZEN CRANBERRIES?
Either one are fine, but if my cranberries are frozen, I do like to put them in the fridge for a few hours to thaw out. The batter for these muffins is a fairly thick batter, so if you fold in frozen cranberries, it chills the batter quickly and makes it even thicker and you definitely have to use a little muscle power to fold them in (haha).
CAN I MAKE THESE MUFFINS AHEAD OF TIME?
Yes you can make these a day or two ahead of time. Just keep them sealed or covered really well and keep them in a cool, dry place.
A FEW TIPS ABOUT THE BUTTER SAUCE . . .
You don’t need to bring the butter sauce to a rolling boil. Once it comes to a boil, remove it from the stove. If you happen to have any left, you can store the leftovers in a container in your fridge. When you use it again, just reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop. Don’t worry if it goes sugary after being in the fridge. When you warm it back up, the sugar will dissolve again and not be grainy or sugary.

I’m going to be honest though, it’s all about the butter sauce. . . it’s delectable, sinful, divine, etc. The joke in my family is that we have a little muffin with our butter sauce (the picture is slightly telling Ü) Most of us have been caught licking our plates, eating it by the spoonful and/or drinking this stuff.
I cross my heart and pinky promise that you will absolutely love this dessert, if you don’t then I am not sure we can be friends (lol).
Happy Thanksgiving!

Cranberry Muffins with Butter Sauce
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 18 to 20 muffins 1x
Description
These Cranberry Muffins with Butter Sauce are out of this world. A tender cranberry muffin drenched in a butter sauce that is to die for! You’re going to fall in love!!
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 cups flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
Butter Sauce:
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) (no substitutes!)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Line two 12-cup muffin tin with liners. (*This makes about 18 to 20 muffins depending on how full you fill the muffin tins.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add milk, flour, baking powder and salt. Fold in the cranberries.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin tins (fill them about 2/3 full, I use my large ice cream/cookie scoop that is about 1/4 cup).
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 23 minutes or until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- While muffins are baking make the sauce by combining butter, sugar and whipping cream in a medium-size saucepan. Stir over medium heat until mixture begins to boil, making sure the sugar is dissolved before it begins to boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm over cranberry muffins.
Notes
Take my advice and double or triple the butter sauce recipe, a single batch just doesn’t make enough to sustain my family’s addiction to this stuff. Even if you have some left after the muffins are gone, you can pretty much put this sauce on anything, which some of us have been known to do. Sometimes I throw in a small extra handful of cranberries just because I love the tartness in the muffins.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Cuisine: American
(These were first published way back on on November 26, 2013 and then updated and reposted on November 18, 2019)
Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving without these muffins! While my son was on his mission in Argentina they are one of the things he missed most about being home for the holidays! I made them for a church Christmas dinner last year and think everyone there asked for the recipe. I promise, they will not disappoint!
I gotta say, you had me at butter sauce!! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
do your prefer fresh or frozen cranberries?
Hey Tammy, either if fine, but I usually thaw my cranberries if I pull a bag out of the freezer to make these. I added a note about that in the post. Thanks for asking.
These are our traditional Christmas morning breakfast! My only change is reducing the sugar to 3/4 cup and since I don’t usually have whipping cream on hand, I use the rest of the evaporated milk as the 1/2 cup cream in the sauce.
★★★★★