Sparkling gingerbread muffins have beautiful crackly tops, robust spice flavor, and are finished with zippy lemon glaze. The combination of ginger and lemon is totally underrated and works SO well in these festive holiday muffins.
Today I’m bringing one of my favorite muffin recipes back into the spotlight. I spruced up the photos and switched an ingredient to make the muffins a little more moist. I know you’ll love them even more now!
Meet the wonderfully spiced and extra moist gingerbread muffins with lemon glaze. Have you ever had the combination of lemon and gingerbread before? Perhaps a gingersnap cookie with a lemon creme filling? Or a spiced gingerbread cupcake with a fluffy lemon buttercream? The pairing may seem odd, but this combination of flavors WORKS. Spicy sweet gingerbread paired with bright & fresh lemon make an unbeatable pair and if you haven’t tried the two together, you are in for a real treat today. Promise.
These Gingerbread Muffins Are:
- Festive for the holiday season
- Like spiced gingerbread loaf in muffin form
- Deep brown and rich in robust gingerbread flavor
- Spiced with ginger, cloves, and cinnamon
- Crackly on top, just like soft molasses cookies
- Easier than making individual gingerbread waffles
- Topped with sparkling sugar for crunch
- Garnished with lemon glaze. YUM!
I love making muffins because they’re quicker than bread, cake, scones, cookies (if you need to chill the cookie dough), and basically easier than any other baked good. Prepare the batter, spoon into muffin liners and bake. No need to wait hours for them to cool, either. Just EAT them. Whenever I need a homemade treat for make ahead baking or bringing to a neighbor, friend, etc—I make muffins 99% of the time.
How to Make Gingerbread Muffins
- Warm molasses and butter together. This is an extra step, but takes about 1 minute in the microwave. We need melted butter for this muffin batter, so I always warm it with the molasses. Why warm the molasses, you ask? Same reason why I warm water and molasses together for my gingerbread cake. Because molasses is really thick and heavy right out of the bottle. We need to thin it out so it combines with the other ingredients. The warm molasses and butter need to slightly cool before adding the egg, so prep the dry ingredients next.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together. Nothing weird here—just flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, and cloves.
- Mix in the other wet ingredients. Whisk brown sugar, 1 egg, milk, and yogurt into the butter/molasses. My original recipe called for 3/4 cup yogurt and 1/4 cup milk and, quite frankly, it made a pretty heavy muffin. Delicious, sure, but last year I began thinning out the batter with a higher ratio of milk. You need 1 cup total, so I use 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup yogurt. If you don’t have yogurt, use sour cream.
- Combine wet & dry ingredients. Smells good already!
- Spoon into muffin liners. If you don’t have muffin liners, grease your 12-count muffin pan. Fill the cups all the way to the top—filling is easy because the batter is thick and spoon-able.
- Add crunchy sugar. Sparkling sugar is my favorite secret ingredient for topping scones and pies because it adds sparkle and crunch. Just as we coat molasses cookies with granulated sugar, coat the muffins with coarse sugar. Coarse Sugar in the Raw is a wonderful option, too!
- Bake: The muffins take a little over 20 minutes.
- Top with lemon icing: More on that below!
Baker’s Tip: The muffin batter is thick—this helps create a denser muffin-like texture. Gingerbread cupcakes batter, on the other hand, is a little thinner because we’re looking for a lighter cupcake texture.
What Else Makes These Muffins So Special?
The muffins themselves aren’t overly sweet, so they’re perfect for breakfast, snack, or even a light dessert. We need 1/2 cup of brown sugar for the whole batter, plus 3/4 cup of molasses. Molasses isn’t nearly as sweet as regular sugar, so don’t expect a cloyingly sweet treat. Sometimes I skip the glaze and sparkling sugar on top—and guess what? The muffins are still perfectly flavorful and well-loved.
Use dark brown sugar if you have it. It has more molasses flavor than light brown sugar. Don’t make a special trip to the store if you don’t have it, though. Light (regular) brown sugar is totally fine in this recipe.
Need a snack as you bake Christmas cookies, open gifts, or sip coffee with your friends? These jolly gingerbread muffins fit literally any and all holiday occasions. 😉
Lemon Glaze
Let’s move on to that sweet and tangy lemon glaze—a drippy coating that pairs perfectly with the deep, dark, spiced muffin underneath.
Grab your confectioners’ sugar, a touch of milk, and the juice of a lemon. You can control the lemon flavor and the thickness of it—use more/less lemon juice, more/less sugar, and more/less milk. If you’re not feeling the lemon/ginger combination, keep the muffins plain or use vanilla icing instead.
The Trick for Tall Muffin Tops
And one more thing before I leave you with the recipe! Fill your muffin tins all the way to the top. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F degrees, then for about 15-16 minutes at 350°F degrees. This initial high oven temperature lifts the muffin top up quickly and creates a tall crust, which is why filling the muffin tins to the top is imperative.
Most muffins bake between 350°F – 375°F for the entire time. Setting the oven to 425°F initially and then lowering the temperature after 5 minutes guarantees muffins with tall, sugar-crusted, crackly tops. I do this with all my muffin recipes!
More Gingerbread Recipes
- Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread Cake
- Chocolate Gingerbread Bundt Cake
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Homemade Gingerbread House
- Gingerbread Waffles
- Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- Gingerbread Cake
- Gingerbread Latte Cookies
Gingerbread Muffins with Sweet Lemon Glaze
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These gingerbread muffins have beautiful crackly tops, robust spice flavor, and are finished with zippy lemon glaze. Feel free to skip the glaze for plain gingerbread muffins. See last step for freezing instructions.
Ingredients
Gingerbread Muffins
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (180ml) unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; I prefer Grandma’s brand)
- 2 and 2/3 cups (334g) all purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk, at room temperature*
- optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar (or more, as needed)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Generously grease a 12-count muffin pan with butter or nonstick spray or line with muffin liners. Set aside.
- Cut the butter into smaller pieces so it melts easier. In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter and molasses together in the microwave on high for about 1 minute. Whisk until thoroughly mixed together. Set aside to slightly cool as you mix the dry ingredients together.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together.
- Into the molasses/butter mixture, whisk the brown sugar, egg, yogurt, and milk until all wet ingredients are combined. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk until *just* combined. Do not over-mix. Batter will be thick and a little lumpy.
- Divide batter among prepared muffin pan, filling all the way to the top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar (for added crunch, recommended!), if desired. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for 15-16 minutes until the tops are cracked and centers are set. Use a toothpick to test. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in pan before glazing and serving.
- Make the glaze: As the muffins cool, prepare your lemon glaze by mixing all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. If desired, add more confectioners’ sugar to thicken or more milk to thin out. Drizzle on top of warm muffins. Icing will set as the muffins cool, so these are great for storing and/or transporting.
- Cover leftover (iced or plain) muffins and store at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week. Muffins (iced or plain) freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Muffin Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Coarse Sugar | Citrus Juicer
- Molasses: I prefer Grandma’s brand dark molasses, but you can also use a light or mild molasses. I do not recommend blackstrap because of its extremely intense/bitter flavor.
- Milk: I use whole milk in these muffins, but you can use lower fat milks or nondairy milk if needed.
- Jumbo Muffins or Mini Muffins: For 6-7 jumbo size muffins, bake in a 6-count jumbo muffin pan, increase baking time to 26-30 total minutes: 5 initial minutes at 425°F and 21-25 minutes at 350°F. For about 50 mini muffins, bake for 11-12 minutes at 350°F the entire time.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I want to make these- they sound amazing but don’t have ground cloves. Would affect the taste greatly if I left this out? Thanks
You can leave them out if needed, Jennifer!
I have added Sally’s cookbook to the top of my Christmas list!
What kind of yogurt? Assuming plain Greek but 0%? Thank you
Hi Nikki, you can use any kind of plain yogurt here, Greek or regular, and any fat content.
These Gingerbread Muffins have become a family tradition for the last 2 years. The sparkling sugar was pretty enough that we skipped the glaze. They are so deeply gingery and scrumptious. Thank you for this great recipe!
Hi Sally
Apologies if this has been asked before but can I use Black Treacle instead of the Molasses which I can’t seem to get hold of in the UK. If yes, would it be a like for like substitution? So I just replace the 180ml Molasses with 180ml Black Treacle? Maybe even Golden Syrup or a bit of both.
Hi Sam, you could definitely try it, but we haven’t tasted these with treacle so are unsure of the flavor difference. If treacle is stronger than molasses, doing half golden syrup is definitely an option you could try. Let us know how it goes!
If I wanted to put bananas in this, what ingredients would I omit?
Hi Shannon, we haven’t tried bananas in these muffins, so are unsure of the result. You may want to try this recipe for banana muffins instead.
Hi! Are we able to store the dough for 1 to 2 days before baking?
Hi Radhika! We do not recommend making muffin batter ahead of time as it will not rise properly when baked.
I just wanted to add here that I have had success with making the batter one day ahead of time. I’ve done this with a few of Sally’s (excellent) muffin recipes and they have always risen properly and turned out great!
Just made these. Yum . Sally never disappoints!!!
Our family really enjoyed these spiced muffins. We loved the crunch & glaze which added to the already deep flavor. We’ll be making them again over the fall/winter season.
These muffins look absolutely stunning. Have you ever added diced pears to the batter? I’ve seen your Upside-down Pear Gingerbread Cake, which sounds delicious too, but was looking for a smaller dessert.
Hi Mindy, about a cup of diced pears would be fantastic in these muffins!
Has anyone ever substituted molasses with sorghum in the gingerbread muffin recipe?
What an absolutely delicious muffin this is! Thanks so much for the recipe and the crystal clear directions. Just btw, because I love ginger, I add a couple tablespoons of fresh grated ginger to the wet ingredients, and then sprinkled on some chopped candied ginger right after adding the glaze. Delicious!
Just made these I jumbo pan. Got 6 with filling to the top. Came out great, total cook time 26 minutes. Soft, fluffy, not dry or dense. I am somewhat of a muffin freak, so this is a save recipe. Thanks for all the tips and comments.
Fantastic recipe! Have made these as mini muffins sprinkled with sugar about 5 times now. Made a happy mistake the first time and used less baking soda, made them a bit more dense and chewy- absolutely delicious and now the way I continue to make them- only 3/4-1t! Highly recommend
Great flavor and rise. Got 17 smaller muffins bake time 14 minutes. Only used 1/2 the amount of brown sugar. Used karo dark syrup with 30 grams molasses powder added to it. Reduced butter to 4T and replaced the other 4 T with applesauce.
LOVE this recipe. Could I use oat flour could I use oat flour or whole wheat flour instead of the AP flour!
Hi Dee, using oat or whole wheat flour would yield dense and dry muffins. You could try replacing just some of the flour to see how it goes first.
These are a favorite in our house! I made them for Christmas Eve breakfast without the glaze and froze the extra. My daughter has been having them for breakfast. I just microwave individually straight from the freezer for 30 seconds and they are perfect!
Love this recipe! I have been maling a lot of gingerbread flavored things this season! Made these Christmas morning and was in such a rush that I forgot to make the lemon glaze, but they are fantastic without the glaze! Will definitely make again. I might try making minis next time.
I just made these on Sunday, along with your pumpkin bread; wrapped them in foil and stuck them in the fridge. Brought them out on Christmas morning, and they’re still beautifully moist and tasty today (4 days later)!! I skipped the glaze and served them with whipped cream cheese and butter to offer variety. Everyone LOVED them and several went home in ‘doggie’ bags. Thanks Sally!
I made these for the first time yesterday and OMG they are amazing! My friends love them and asked me to make more!!
Hi there, loved these ,however the following day rather dry? Not sure why? Followed the recipe , except I used Greek yogurt ? Thanks again
Hi Mardie, Glad you loved these! How did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over measured, which can dry out baked goods. You can also try decreasing the bake time by just a minute or two. Also be sure to store the cooled muffins covered. Hope this helps for next time!
I filled the cups about 7/8 full and they overflowed. I recommend 3/4 full. I also added extra ginger powder and nutmeg. They were good!
Yummy and perfect!! I do like the lemon drizzle over the muffins!! Thank you for a delicious recipe!!
Easy and very tasty!
Can this recipe be made gluten free?
Hi Cheryl, We haven’t tested this bread with gluten-free flour so we’re unsure of the results. Although some readers report using an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour in many of our recipes with success, you should expect slightly different results anytime you substitute ingredients. Let us know if you try it!
Can this recipe be made a cake pan? if so, what size please?
Hi Nancy, You can try this muffin recipe in a 9×5-inch loaf pan. The bake time should be around 50-60 minutes at 350°F (177°C). Or you may enjoy this gingerbread cake.
Can I substitute buttermilk for the regular milk?
Hi Katie, we haven’t tried this recipe with buttermilk, but you could likely substitute it for some of the milk + sour cream. If you try it, let us know how they turn out!
Can I add chocolate chips and a little bit of colorful sprinkles to the recipe? Will it ruin the muffins?
Sure can!
Can I substitute milk for almond milk unsweetened
Hi D, We use whole milk in these muffins, but you can use lower fat milks or nondairy milk if needed.
Can i sub the butter for oil?
Hi Malak, you want a solid that you can cream with the sugar for this muffin recipe. We haven’t tested it but you could try replacing half of the butter with solid coconut oil, but of course the flavor would change. For the best results we recommend sticking with the recipe.
I didn’t have enough butter so I used vegetable oil. I beat the sugar with the sour cream a bit. Because butter is so tasty and oil is not, I zested one large orange and added a teaspoon of vanilla. I didn’t put on any glaze. They were very good! Her muffin recipes are always spot-on!
Can these muffins be made gluten free?
Hi Cheryl, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flours, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like Cup4Cup). If you try it, let us know how it goes!