Glazed Gingerbread Muffins

Tender and flavorful glazed gingerbread muffins filled with fall spices and topped with a lemon glaze are the perfect holiday treat. 

I’ve seen gingerbread muffins with lemon glaze on several websites and wondered how that combination would taste. I found a recipe for glazed gingerbread muffins on Sally’s Baking Addiction that looked tasty, so I decided to make a batch. The muffins were easy to throw together and tasted wonderful with the lemon glaze. My family said the recipe is a keeper–my daughter loved the muffins with lots of lemon glaze, while my husband and son both preferred them plain.

Glazed Gingerbread Muffins

Muffin Ingredients:

• ¾ cup unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; Grandma’s brand is a good choice)
• ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into smaller pieces
• 2⅔ cups flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup sour cream (or plain yogurt), room temperature
• ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• Coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Lemon Glaze:

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Or if you’d prefer 

Vanilla Glaze:

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp milk, to taste
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

How to Make Glazed Gingerbread Muffins

Preheat the oven to 425. Coat a muffin tray well with cooking spray.

Combine the molasses and butter in a large glass bowl and microwave for a minute, or until the butter is melted. Stir to combine and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt until well combined.

Add the sugar, sour cream, milk, and well-beaten egg to the molasses mixture and mix until very well combined.

Gradually add the molasses mixture to the flour mixture until just combined; don’t overmix. Side Note: The batter will be thick and a little lumpy.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tray, filling all the way up to the top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired (gives a nice crunch and highly recommend!).

Place into the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees without opening the oven and continue to cook for 11-14 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Side Note: Starting the baking at a higher temperature and then reducing it helps make the muffin dome.

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for a few minutes before putting them on a wire rack to finish cooling.

Make the lemon glaze by combining the powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice until it’s creamy and you reach your desired consistency.

Drizzle the lemon glaze on top of the cooled muffins, if desired. Serve and Enjoy.

Side Note: If you’d prefer a vanilla glaze, combine the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until it’s creamy and you reach your desired consistency.