Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Yield: 12-14 muffins
With strong spice flavour, pretty cracked tops glazed with zippy lemon glaze, these gleaming Gingerbread Muffins are a festive holiday treat!
INGREDIENTS
Gingerbread Muffins:
1/2 c (1 stick or 115g) unsalted butter
3/4 c (234g) dark molasses*
3 c (375g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 c (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 large Egg, at room temperature
1/2 c (120g) plain yoghurt or sour cream, at room temperature
1/2 c (120ml) milk, at room temperature*
optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling
Lemon Glaze:
1 c (120g) confectioners’ sugar (or more, as needed)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp (15ml) milk
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Prepare the oven. Preheat it to 425 degrees F or 218 degrees C.
Step 2: Use butter or a nonstick spray to grease a muffin pan. Or line with muffin liners.
Step 3: Place the smaller pieces of butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add in the molasses and heat in the microwave for about a minute. Stir to incorporate and set aside to cool.
Step 4: Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
Step 5: Add the brown sugar, egg, yoghurt, and milk into the molasses and butter mixture. Mix until the ingredients are wet.
Step 6: Add the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until just combined. Make sure to not over-mix the batter.
Step 7: Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan and fill the pan to the top. For added crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
Step 8: Place inside the preheated oven and bake for about 5 minutes.
Step 9: Adjust the oven temperature to 350 degrees F or 177 degrees C and continue to bake for another 15 to 16 minutes or until the tops cracked and the middle is set. Use a toothpick to test the doneness.
Step 10: Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool for at least 5 to 10 minutes in the pan.
To make the glaze:
Step 11: In a medium bowl, mix the lemon glaze ingredients. To thicken add more confectioners’ sugar and more milk to thin out the consistency.
Step 12: Drizzle the glaze over the warm muffins.
Step 13: Store the leftover muffins (iced or plain) at room temperature, covered, for up to 2 days or up to a week in the fridge or the freezer for up to 3 months. Before serving, thaw the muffins on the counter.
NOTES
For the molasses, use dark, light, or mild molasses. Use whole milk to make the muffins or lower-fat or non-dairy milk is okay. Bake the jumbo size muffins in a 6-count jumbo muffin pan for about 26 to 30 minutes. 5 minutes at 425 degrees F and 350 degrees F for another 21 to 25 minutes. The mini muffins (about 50) at 350 degrees F for about 11 to 12 minutes.