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Gingerbread Muffins Recipe

4.6 from 149 reviews

These Gingerbread Muffins are warmly spiced, moist, and perfect for the holiday season or any cozy day. Featuring a blend of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves with rich molasses and sour cream for tenderness, they’re quick to prepare and bake to golden perfection with a delightful coarse sugar topping for extra texture and sweetness.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves

Wet Ingredients

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted)
  • ¼ cup neutral oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • ¾ cup molasses
  • ½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
  • 1 large egg (room temperature)
  • 1 cup sour cream (room temperature)

Topping

  • ¼ cup coarse sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat and prepare the muffin tin: Set your oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line it with paper liners to prevent sticking and ease muffin removal.
  2. Mix dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, kosher salt, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves. Whisk together well to evenly distribute the spices throughout the flour mixture. Set aside.
  3. Combine wet ingredients: In another mixing bowl, whisk together the melted unsalted butter, neutral oil, vanilla extract, molasses, and packed light brown sugar until smooth. Then add the large egg and sour cream, continuing to whisk until the mixture is well combined and smooth.
  4. Mix wet and dry ingredients: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Gently fold the batter together using a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; the batter should be thick.
  5. Fill muffin cups and add topping: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each all the way to the top. Sprinkle a generous amount of coarse sugar over each muffin for a crunchy sweet topping.
  6. Bake the muffins: Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake at 425°F for 5 minutes to get an initial rise and crust formation. Then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) without removing the muffins and continue baking for an additional 14 to 15 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter.
  7. Cool: Remove the muffin tin from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.

Notes

  • Molasses is a key ingredient giving these muffins their characteristic deep flavor and color; do not substitute with regular syrup.
  • Ensure the egg and sour cream are at room temperature to help the batter mix evenly.
  • Avoid overmixing the batter to keep muffins tender and avoid toughness.
  • The coarse sugar topping adds texture and sparkle to the muffins’ crowns, but you can omit it if desired.
  • These muffins keep well at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to a week. Freeze for longer storage.

Keywords: gingerbread muffins, holiday muffins, molasses muffins, spiced muffins, moist muffins