Cranberry Coffee Cake

If you're like me, you're liable to discover a bag of cranberries in your freezer around this time of year--totally forgot about them! Try this sweet coffee cake if you're able to round up cranberries, fresh or frozen. It's best warm, straight from the oven or reheated. I make it Saturday night so we can have it Sunday morning for breakfast (and Monday morning, too!). Note that there are two measurements for sugar--in case you're checking to make sure you have enough.

Cranberry Coffee Cake
~Simply in Season

• 3 c. cranberries
• 2/3 c. sugar 
• 1 c. chopped walnuts
• 3/4 c. butter, softened
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 1/3 c. flour (can do half whole wheat)
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt

Combine cranberries and first amount of sugar. Spread over bottom of greased 13x9-inch pan (glass is pretty). Sprinkle walnuts over cranberries. Cream together butter and second amount of sugar with an electric mixer. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Combine dry ingredients left and add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Batter will be thick--almost like cookie dough. Spoon clumps of batter out over cranberries. You will have some small gaps here and there, but the batter will spread out as it cooks. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

~Serves 12-15