By Lidey Heuck
- Total Time
- 35 minutes, plus cooling
- Rating
- 4(730)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A baked good for the true ginger fanatic, these muffins pack some serious spice thanks to the addition of grated fresh ginger, ground ginger and minced crystallized ginger. Molasses, a key ingredient in traditional gingerbread, gives the muffins a beautiful golden hue and helps keep them moist for days — if they last that long. (Any variety of molasses will work here, but there may be some color variation depending on the brand used.) For larger, bakery-style muffins, use a jumbo muffin pan and bake the muffins for a few extra minutes.
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Ingredients
Yield:12 muffins
- 1cup/201 grams granulated sugar
- ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2large eggs, at room temperature
- ¾cup whole milk
- ¼cup molasses
- 1tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (from a 2-inch piece)
- 2cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
- 2teaspoons baking powder
- 1teaspoon ground ginger
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- ¾cup/108 grams, plus 3 tablespoons/27 grams minced crystallized ginger
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
282 calories; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 30 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 206 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
Step
2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, butter, eggs, milk, molasses and grated ginger, and whisk until smooth.
Step
3
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. (Be careful not to overmix! The batter will be slightly lumpy.) Stir in ¾ cup crystallized ginger, reserving the remaining 3 tablespoons for the topping.
Step
4
Using an ice cream scoop or a large spoon, divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the reserved crystallized ginger onto the tops of the muffins, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the muffins spring back when lightly pressed. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then carefully transfer muffins to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Ratings
4
out of 5
730
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
mosaic
I made as written and it was too sweet for me. I made a second batch cutting sugar to 2/3 cup of sugar and adding 1-1/2 tsp very fresh garam masala. I’ll make that again.
Jack (NYC)
These were delicious, like a soft version of a really good ginger snap, and I didn't think they were too sweet at all. However, the estimate of 35 minutes to make these is not realistic. Mincing all of that crystalized ginger is slow and messy. A food processor didn't work because it stuck to the blades, so I minced it by hand, which worked, but took over 20 minutes. For the grated ginger I used some from a jar which worked well. Plan on 1 hour from start to finish.
Sarah
Seems more like a cupcake as very sweet. I may serve dessert but will still cut way back on sugar
Deb W
I have a beloved ginger crinkle cookie recipe that calls for ¾ cups of finely chopped ginger. After numerous different techniques attempted over the years, I've perfected the process: snip the crystallized ginger into long, very thin strips with a kitchen shears, then gather up the strips a few at a time and snip them crosswise into tiny cubes. This technique helps keep most of the sugar on the tiny pieces, and they don't stick together. A bit tedious, not nearly as bad as mincing with a knife.
Tracy
I add some of a recipe's sugar to the ginger to mince, either by hand or in food processor.
Rachael
Diamond salt is made via an evaporative process that is patented, resulting in large, delicate crystals that do not pack tightly. This process is considerably more expensive than Morton's process of grinding the salt, making fine, densely packing crystals. Diamond salt is about half the density of Morton's Kosher and non-kosher salts so 1 teaspoon of Morton's contains as much salt by weight as ½ teaspoon of Diamond. More info than you requested but this explains the differences.
Christine M
If you are a bran muffin fan, try 1 cup wheat bran and 1 cup AP flour instead of 2 cups flour. (I also used 6 ounces plain yogurt instead of milk and added 1 t cinnamon and cut the sugar a bit) This is one of the best muffins I have ever tasted!
Diane
The late, amazing Maida Heatter advised in one of her cookie books to cut crystalized ginger with scissors rather than a knife, and it is less tedious than trying to chop with a knife, oiled or not. Presumably she meant kitchen shears, but I suppose any kind except your mother's or husband's sewing scissor would work!
phillip roullard
Like previous notes have indicated, I cut back on the sugar even more than some. I reduced the sugar content in the muffins to 1/2 of brown sugar. I use brown sugar instead of granulated since brown sugar gives a better flavor. I tasted the batter before baking and it tasted plenty sweet. I also altered the amount of butter to half the amount and used a 1/2 of safflower oil since of the times recipes use an inordinate amount of butter. I used 1 cup whole wheat & 1 cup all purpose.
Susan
You can adjust to suit your taste and health needs. First, cut the granulated sugar (I cut most baking recipes by half). I would leave the molasses as is because it metabolizes more slowly and has other health benefits. I use very little all purpose flour and sub in an equal amount of whole wheat pastry flour (Whole Foods, although other grains will work as well--do some online research). Can also sub other fats: coconut, safflower, olive, etc.
Dwight C.
Why does Diamond Crystal kosher salt cost almost $15 for 48 ounces when Morton’s costs $2.26?
Ann
I adore ginger so I was drawn to this recipe; but 1 cup sugar AND molasses AND crystallized ginger? And white flour. No wonder we keep reading NYT articles about obesity and health issues like diabetes. No thank you.
Rosemary
Grind all of the candied ginger with the granulated sugar in a food processor. Set aside 3 T of the sugar/ginger to sprinkle on top of the muffins. The sugar keeps the candied ginger from gumming up everything. Any time I need candied ginger in a sweet recipe, I regularly do this.I cook a lot w/ginger. When I made these, I ground dried ginger corms w/a small hand grater I also use for nutmeg. Just as when you grind nutmeg, the freshly ground ginger has a much better flavor.
Sonia
You can buy chopped and minced crystallized ginger at many places where good spices are sold. I get it locally but Pensey’s has it online.
Brenda Boyd
Excellent recipe. I opened my emails & knew I had some crystallized ginger in my cabinet. Got up and made in between working at my kitchen table. Made AS WRITTEN with no problems whatsoever. I knew it would make my house smell wonderfully. No issues cutting up the crystallized ginger--stacked & cut into julienne strips & then into mince--easy peazy with a nice sharp chef's knife. This sounds like a great recipe to gift to someone suffering nausea from chemo treatments with all the ginger.
Kimmie
Made exactly as shown in the recipe and these are amazing! I used Trader Joe’s Crystallized Candied Ginger Slices — a breeze to chop up. I froze all the uneaten muffins, and just 30 seconds in the microwave to reheat the next morning was perfect. The edges were still crispy and the flavor was even better. This recipe will be in high rotation!
jecuddy
I made these using some of the suggestions. I used brown sugar - 3/4 of the amount, yogurt instead of milk and 50/50 bran/flour. Absolutely delicious.
Joycetylet
A lot of folks complained about chopping candy ginger. I agree. This is a very tedious task guaranteed to cause an accident. I buy chopped crystallized ginger from nuts.com or Amazon, which makes making these muffins and other ginger cookies tremendously simpler.. from one seasoned Baker to you all.
Jill
I had tons of crystallized ginger to use and it was tough to find a recipe that called for a significant amount. I’m so happy to have found this one as I’ll make it over and over. For ginger lovers like me this is an ideal recipe. The muffins were moist with a nice crisp top and the flavors were complex, rich, and buttery in the best way!
Sarah
I am a ginger fiend and love this recipe. I've made it many times successfully with both 1-to-1 gluten free flour and standard all purpose. I actually prefer the gf version, the texture turns out better in this specific recipe.
Celeste
Added mango essential. Maybe vanilla. Too one note. Perhaps add more tropical fruit. Worth another try. Raisins?
Name
8 inch square pan is perfect
Name
Bakes beautifully in an 8 inch square pan; no need for muffin/cup cake formatAn absolute favourite in our house; I’m scolded if we ever run out !!
Michelle
Like others, cut sugar to 1/2c and still too sweet, maybe this was because of my candied ginger being extra sweet?
Kathi
I consider candied ginger soft and not to Hard to chop. But my crystallized ginger is hard as a rocks and impossible to chop. Ideas?
LT
If you're concerned about the amounts of butter and sugar in this recipe, consider:1) replacing half the butter with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce:2) omitting all the additional sugar and substituting 1/3 cup of a stevia blend.The molasses and stevia provide plenty of sweetness and most crystallized ginger is covered in sugar. I replaced 3 tablespoons of the crystallized ginger with fresh ginger. Run the ginger through a food processor with the stevia solves the dicing dilemma.
Jennifer W
Maybe I did something wrong but these are way too spicy for me. Basically inedible.
Mel
Delightful. I am a lover of ginger so this was a must try. Mine have kept well and this recipe will most definitely go into my muffin rotation. I did reduce the sugar slightly, but not so much that it would alter the final result. I replaced part of the all purpose with whole wheat (in deference to whole grains and all...). Relatives loved them, too.
fishers
I like it with just 1/4 c. of sugar (used coconut sugar). Plenty sweet for me that way, with the molasses and crystallized ginger.
jensharron
Gluten Free works!! A couple things to say, first thank you to the user that suggested cutting candied ginger up with scissors, genius and now a life lesson!Agree with other users, I used HALF the sugar and doubled the molasses. Subbed my gf flour blend 1:1. Baked at 400 for 10 min (to get a decent rise) and lowered to 350 for the last 15 min. So delicious and you’d never know they were GF, yay!
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