2 Muffin tins (if you only have one tin that’s ok! you will just need to do two batches).
Muffin tin liners
Small Pan
Whisk
Medium bowl
Large Bowl
Small Bowl
Ingredients
1stick4oz unsalted butter
1cuppacked dark brown sugar
2eggs
½cupunsweetened applesauce
½cupbuttermilk
1tspvanilla bean pasteor vanilla extract
1cupshredded parsnipsabout 1 medium peeled parsnip
1 ¾cupall purpose flour
1tspbaking soda
¼tspbaking powder
2tspcinnamon
½tspground ginger
¼tspfreshly grated nutmeg
⅛tspground cloves
1tspkosher salt
1cupsweetened shredded coconut
½cuptoasted chopped pecans
1cupfresh cranberries*
Topping
⅓cupsugar
1large orangezested
4Tbspunsalted buttermelted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two muffin tins with liners (if you only have one tin that’s ok! you will just need to do two batches).
In a small pan over medium low heat, add butter and melt.
Whisk butter continuously until the butter has browned. Keep an eye on it as this can happen quick!
Once the butter is brown, immediately transfer to a medium bowl. Let cool 5 minutes.
Add brown sugar and whisk until incorporated.
Add in eggs and whisk until homogenous. (work quick here as the butter may be still warm and we don’t want to cook the eggs!)
Whisk in applesauce, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir in parsnips. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt.
Add the wet into the dry and mix until just moistened. It’s ok if there are a few clumps. Don’t over mix :)
Fold in coconut, pecans, and cranberries.
Fill muffin tin with batter about 2/3 of the way up.
Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes until muffins are puffed, golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are ok!).
While muffins bake, mix orange zest and sugar together in a small bowl.
Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
Dip the tops of the muffins in the melted butter and then into the orange sugar. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
*You can also substitute dried cranberries here if you aren’t a fan of the tartness of fresh cranberries. I like using the fresh because of the contrast they give to all the other sweet components in the muffin. But the dried would be equally as good!