Bakery Style Gingerbread Muffins

These bakery style Gingerbread Muffins are easy to make and are filled with warm, cozy spices. They’re moist and soft and have the perfect crackly tops sprinkled with coarse sugar. These are perfect for the Christmas and holiday season. They won’t last long in your house!

Ahh, the Christmas season is officially here, and I am so excited! This is truly my favorite time of year. This year it will be a little different with the recent loss of my dad. This was his absolute favorite time of year. For years we went out Christmas shopping together on Christmas Eve. We had a blast. And every year we would pick my mom a bottle of red wine, and play the “Red, red wine” song by UB40 as she opened her present. I have so many wonderful memories from our time together and I am holding onto all of those. I will be sure to carry on his happy Christmas traditions with my own family.

These gingerbread muffins are the perfect breakfast treat to make to start off your holiday season. The smell of the gingerbread muffins baking throughout your house is just delightful. It will make your house smell like Christmas! These would be a great treat to bake on Christmas morning for your Christmas breakfast. Waking up to the smell of gingerbread muffins…mmm! That would be wonderful.

These gingerbread muffins are sooo easy to make. And when I say easy, I truly mean it. They are mixed in one bowl in just a few minutes, then baked. They take less than 20 minutes to bake.

The details

Bakery style muffin liners

If you want to take your gingerbread muffins up a notch, you have to make your own liners! All you need is some parchment paper.

Here’s how to make the liners. Cut 12 pieces of parchment paper that measures 5×5 inches. Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of a glass, then use your hands to press the parchment paper along the sides of the glass. This will create the shape of the liner. Place the liners in the muffin tin. It’s okay if they don’t fit perfectly. The muffin batter will hold the liner in the tin, once added. That’s it! Now you’ll have bakery style gingerbread muffins.

Ingredients

• unsalted butter – I usually prefer using unsalted butter in my baking, so that I can control how much salt is added. You can actually use butter or oil in this recipe. I chose to use butter, because I wanted the extra flavor from the butter. If you choose oil, your muffins will still taste delicious, and may be a touch more moist (although these are already very moist and soft thanks to the addition of the yogurt)
• brown sugar – brown sugar adds richness and the perfect amount of sweetness
• molasses – what’s a gingerbread muffin without the classic ingredients that give it it’s flavor, right!? Molasses is a key component for gingerbread.
• eggs – The eggs give the muffins structure and softness.
• Greek yogurt – I love adding greek yogurt in my muffins. Not only does the greek yogurt help keep these muffins soft and moist, it also adds some nutrition to the muffins with the addition of protein.
• whole milk – milk helps to make the crumb of the muffins more tender and contributes to the moisture in the muffins
• all-purpose flour – flour is needed for the muffins to hold their structure.
• baking soda – baking soda helps the muffins rise. Baking soda is different from baking powder in the fact that it needs an acid to work. In this case, brown sugar is actually acidic, I know, it seems weird, at least to me it does. Brown sugar reacts with baking soda to create carbon dioxide gas, which in turn makes the muffins rise.
• baking powder – baking powder on the other hand does not need an acid to work. It works on its own. The reason I like using both baking soda and baking powder is because they create different textures in the muffins.
• cinnamon – cinnamon and the below spices create the delicious, characteristic gingerbread flavors for these gingerbread muffins.
• ginger
• nutmeg
• cloves
• allspice
• salt – salt helps to enhance the flavors in these muffins.

Here’s how to make the muffins

These muffins come together in just a few minutes and can be made in one bowl. To make these gingerbread muffins, you’ll add the “wet ingredients”, including the sugar and whisk to combine. This includes the sugar, eggs, butter, molasses, yogurt and milk.

Next, you’ll add in the “dry ingredients”. This includes the flour, salt, spices, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk the batter JUST until combined. It is okay if it’s a little lumpy. Muffin batter is actually meant to be lumpy. The lumpy batter helps to trap the air bubbles and helps the muffins rise and become fluffy. So, it is important to not overmix.

After mixing the batter, you’ll scoop into your prepared 12-count muffin tin, then sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar or granulated sugar. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Now all that’s left to do is grab one and enjoy!

Here are a few other Christmas Breakfast ideas for you

• Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls (like Cinnabon)
• Soft 1-hour cinnamon rolls
• Blueberry Streusel Muffins
• Bakery Style Red Velvet Muffins

Let me know what you thought!

If you make these Gingerbread Muffins, let me know what you thought in the ratings and comments below. I absolutely love reading all of your comments! Also, make sure to snap a picture and tag me @simplebakingwithpep on instagram. It truly makes my day to see all of your wonderful creations.

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