Get into the holiday spirit with a batch of gingerbread muffins. Perfect for breakfast, snacking, or dessert, these tender muffins are filled with holiday spices and topped with a dusting of confectioner's sugar.
This homemade gingerbread muffin recipe makes a wonderfully soft, moist, and tender batch of muffins. Since they're not too sweet, they're perfect for snacking, breakfast, or a light dessert.
Want to make a loaf of gingerbread instead? I have a recipe for that, too: homemade gingerbread loaf. Muffins and bread loaves make a great homemade holiday gift!
Make a batch of gingerbread muffins for Christmas morning, holiday movie night, or just because. They're great served with fresh apple slices, a dollop of whipped cream, or a smear of whipped honey butter.
Ingredients and substitutions
Since this is a baking recipe, I do not have many substitutions to offer. Baking is an exact science, and each ingredient serves its purpose in the recipe. I do not recommend making any substitutions that I haven't mentioned in this section!
- Oil - Adds moisture to the gingerbread muffins. I don't recommend omitting or reducing the oil listed in the recipe for best results.
- Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar will work in this recipe. I used light brown sugar because it's always on hand in my pantry. If you prefer sweeter muffins, feel free to add an extra ¼ cup of brown sugar to the recipe.
- Large eggs - Allow them to come to room temperature before adding to your batter. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, fill a bowl with hot tap water, add your eggs, and allow to set for 10 minutes. Remove your eggs from the water and dry off before cracking.
- Molasses - I recommend Grandma's Original Molasses (a common brand found in grocery stores). Molasses is a must when baking gingerbread and gives it a distinctive flavor. Light or dark molasses will work in this recipe - dark molasses gives your gingerbread a stronger flavor.
- All-purpose flour - I do not recommend substituting your flour with any other types of flour you may have on hand. AP flour has the perfect amount of structure needed for a quick bread recipe.
- Baking soda - Cannot be substituted with baking powder.
- Spices/Extracts - You'll need vanilla extract, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. All of these ingredients work together to give your bread a well rounded flavor.
Tips and tricks
Properly measured flour - One key to successful baking is properly measuring your ingredients, including the flour. I recommend weighing your flour with a kitchen scale or using the spoon and level method. Gently spoon flour into a measuring cup, then level the top off with a knife. When scooping flour directly from the container with your measuring cup, you're compacting the flour into the measuring cup. This adds up to 25% extra flour to your recipe. This makes your muffins dry and bland.
Use a thermometer - Use a thermometer inside your oven to make sure your oven is set to the proper temperature for any given recipe. Here's what I use: Rubbermaid Instant Read Oven Thermometer
To prevent dry muffins - If your muffins are dry straight from the oven, it's caused by overbaking or substituting ingredients. When baked just the right amount of time, your muffins will turn out soft, moist, and tender. Keep a close eye on your muffins and don't rely on time alone. Some ovens can run hotter or colder than the next oven, so the time that worked for me may not work for you.
Test for doneness - Gently press on the top of a muffin. If it pops right back, they're done. If an indent is left, your muffins need more time. For best results, use an instant-read thermometer. Muffins are done when they reach 200 degrees Fahrenheit in the center.
Allow muffins to cool completely - Dry muffins can also be caused by unwrapping or slicing while still hot. The wrapper may also stick to your muffins while they're still hot.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! This is the same recipe as my reader-favorite gingerbread loaf recipe, but in muffin form. Pour your batter into a lightly greased or parchment lined 9x5 loaf pan. Then, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean/with dry crumbs, or the center reaches 200 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit when tested with an instant-read thermometer.
To freeze, you'll need a freezer safe container a gallon-sized plastic freezer bag. Carefully layer your muffins into your container or bag, using layers of wax paper between each row of muffins (to prevent sticking). Muffins will keep for three months or more in the freezer.
Homemade muffins will stay moist for about 3 days before they'll need to be eaten, frozen, or discarded. Store in a tightly sealed, freezer safe container at room temperature.
1. The biggest cause of dry muffins is overbaking. Every oven runs slightly different, so I recommend checking on your muffins periodically about 2-3 minutes early just in case your oven runs a little hot.
2. Don't reduce or omit any of the moisture-adding ingredients. This includes eggs, sugar, molasses, and oilr.
3. Measure your flour using a kitchen scale for best results. Excess dry ingredients added to the recipe can cause your muffins to turn out dry. If you don't have a scale, use the spoon and level method instead.
Gingerbread muffins are great as a morning treat with coffee or tea. Pair them with some fresh fruit like apple and orange slices and some candied pecans. They also make an excellent less-sweet holiday dessert. As a garnish, sprinkle some confectioner's sugar on top or add a dollop of whipped cream. If serving warm, a smear of whipped honey butter makes a great addition.
Yes, I've updated this recipe to call for oil instead of butter. Since gingerbread has such a strong flavor, there's no need to prepare it with butter (the main benefit of butter is the flavor it adds to baked goods). Oil helps keep your muffins moist for longer than butter and makes the muffins easier to prepare.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Gingerbread Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) vegetable oil
- ½ cup (107 g) brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (170 g) molasses
- ½ cup (114 g) boiling water
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar, for dusting, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, add molasses and boiling water. Stir until combined. Add to liquid mixture and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk (or sift) together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
- Portion batter into muffin pan, filling about ¾ full. Bake for about 17-20 minutes, or until muffins pop back when gently pressed on top. If an indent is left, your muffins need more time.
- Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before dusting tops with confectioner's sugar (optional).
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Store cooled muffins in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. Homemade muffins will keep for about 3 days.
- Muffins can be frozen in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Set frozen muffins on counter top for 30 minutes to bring to room temperature.
Easy and delicious! I added lemon glaze to the muffins. Together, they tasted fabulous.
I substituted Splenda Brown sugar, 1/4 cup , to reduce sugar. Then added 2 Tbsp of finely copped candied ginger. So good🤩🤩🤩
Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately there is no substitution advice on the bottle. I will keep your additional info in mind when making the bread. Thanks a heap!
Sounds delish! I am trying to use some fresh ginger from a bottle. So basically, it’s not 100% fresh, but it is also not dry. Could you recommend how much of that to substitute for the dry Ginger?
Hi Renee, ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger is the equivalent of one teaspoon of peeled and grated fresh ginger. I'd guess that fresh bottled ginger would use the same measurements as fresh. Does it have any substitution directions on the bottle's label, by chance?