Gingerbread Muffins with Spices (Printable Version)
Moist muffins with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves for a flavorful, cozy treat.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
05 - 2 teaspoons ground ginger
06 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
07 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
08 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
→ Wet Ingredients
09 - 1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
10 - 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
11 - 1/3 cup unsulphured molasses
12 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
13 - 3/4 cup buttermilk or milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar
14 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Optional Toppings
15 - 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
16 - 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
# Method:
01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk vegetable oil, brown sugar, and molasses until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla extract.
04 - Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix gently until just incorporated. Avoid overmixing to maintain muffin tenderness.
05 - Distribute batter evenly into muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Sprinkle optional coarse sugar and crystallized ginger on top, if desired.
06 - Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Chef's Tips:
01 -
- They stay moist for days—molasses and oil do that magic thing where the crumb never goes dry.
- The spice blend is bold enough to taste intentional but not so sharp it overwhelms your morning coffee.
- You can throw them together in under 20 minutes of actual work, which feels like a small miracle on a busy day.
02 -
- Room-temperature eggs and buttermilk mix in smoothly and create a better crumb structure—this is the one thing I learned that actually changed my muffins from good to consistently excellent.
- Overmixing is the most common mistake; the batter will look slightly rough and that's exactly right—trust that it's combined enough.
03 -
- If your molasses has hardened, warm the jar in hot water for a minute so it pours smoothly and measures accurately.
- Sifting your dry ingredients is optional but gives you a lighter crumb, especially if you're substituting whole wheat flour.