Muffin Mondays | Gingerbread Muffins

I love gingerbread. The warm smell. The sticky molasses. The spicy ginger. To me gingerbread screams winter time. It makes me want to snuggle up at home with a hot cup of tea. And bite of gingerbread reminds me of childhood in the winter. I remember eagerly devouring gingerbread while shivering from the cold. And I love how powdered sugar dusted over the gingerbread looks like snow. For me nothing signals holiday time more than gingerbread. So thing morning we’re baking gingerbread muffins. They are fragrant, fluffy perfection. The fresh ginger bits sprinkled throughout give it a little kick and really brings out the molasses. Go bake some muffins and fill your home with warmth and beautiful gingerbread aromas.

Gingerbread Muffins

recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

3/4 cup organic cane sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

pinch ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup light molasses

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup firmly packed minced fresh ginger

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the lower third of oven. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with waxed paper, then spray the paper. Dust the entire pan with flour and shake out the excess.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together molasses, eggs, oil, and buttermilk.

Dissolve baking soda in the cup of boiling water. Fold the baking soda and molasses mixtures into dry ingredients until combined. (Do not overmix.) Fold in the minced ginger.

Scrape batter into the prepared baking pan; bake until cake is set around edges and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners’ sugar.