Thanksgiving Muffins

Grease 12 wells of a standard muffin pan; or line with papers, and grease the papers., In a large bowl whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, oil, molasses, salt, spices, milk, and cinnamon chips or bits. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl., Whisk the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together. Stir in the dried cranberries. Add all at once to the wet ingredients and mix until all ingredients are well combined., Cover the bowl, and let the batter rest for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 400°F., Deposit the batter by the generous 1/4-cupful (a slightly heaped muffin scoop works well here) into the prepared pan. If you have a scale, each muffin will be about 90g, about 3 1/8 ounces. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with about 1/2 teaspoon coarse sparkling sugar or Swedish pearl sugar., Bake the muffins for 20 to 21 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the middle of a center muffin comes out clean., Remove the muffins from the oven, and tilt them in their individual wells to cool; this prevents their bottoms from steaming and becoming tough. Serve warm, or at room temperature.