Gingerbread muffins capture everything good about a cold-morning coffee run, baked fresh in your own kitchen. They have a light, fluffy crumb, deep molasses flavor, and a sparkly coarse sugar top that crackles with every bite.
What You'll Love About These Gingerbread Muffins
- Two full teaspoons of ginger for bold, warm flavor
- Applesauce keeps the crumb light and moist
- Coarse sugar on top adds bakery-style crunch
- Perfect with morning coffee or afternoon tea
The trick to a fluffy muffin instead of a dense slice of gingerbread is a little applesauce in the batter. It lightens things up while keeping every bite tender and moist.
Mix the batter until just combined so the muffins bake up tall and tender, not tough.
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Why You’ll Love These Gingerbread Muffins
- These gingerbread muffins have a bold, unapologetic ginger flavor in every bite.
- The crumb stays light and moist thanks to a spoonful of applesauce.
- That coarse sugar topping gives them a true bakery-style finish.
Ingredient Notes
Here is a quick rundown of the ingredients that shape these muffins. You will find the exact measurements in the recipe card below, so this is just to point out what each one does.
- Ginger powder: two full teaspoons give a bold, warming flavor.
- Molasses: brings the deep, classic gingerbread color and taste.
- Applesauce: lightens the crumb and keeps the muffins moist.
- Maple syrup and brown sugar: add gentle, rounded sweetness.
- Coarse sugar: optional, but it makes the tops sparkle and crunch.
For equipment, you will need a muffin tin with liners, two mixing bowls, and a stand or hand mixer. A standard scoop helps you portion the batter evenly.
How to Make Gingerbread Muffins
These gingerbread muffins come together with a simple wet-and-dry mixing method. Combine, scoop, sprinkle, and bake.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin.
- Whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in one bowl.
- Beat the butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, applesauce, molasses, and egg until combined.
- Add the dry mix and milk in alternating additions, mixing just until combined.
- Scoop into the cups, top with coarse sugar, and bake 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
This recipe makes 12 muffins. To bake ahead, store them at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for longer, then warm before serving.
Looking for more cozy gingerbread treats? Try these gingerbread crepes with espresso chocolate sauce for a special breakfast.
Storage Options
These muffins keep beautifully, which makes them great for busy mornings. Cool them fully before storing so they do not turn damp.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerate for up to 5 days if your kitchen is warm.
- Freeze, well wrapped, for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature.
Variations & Substitutions
These gingerbread muffins take well to small tweaks. Adjust the spice or mix-ins to make them your own.
- Add a pinch of ground cloves or nutmeg for extra warmth.
- Fold in chopped crystallized ginger for little bursts of spice.
- Stir in mini chocolate chips for the kids.
- Swap milk for a dairy-free alternative if needed.
What to Serve with Gingerbread Muffins
Gingerbread muffins are made for slow, cozy mornings. Pair them with warm drinks and a few simple sides to round out the table.
- A hot cup of coffee or chai tea.
- A smear of salted butter or cream cheese while still warm.
- A bowl of fresh fruit or yogurt on the side.
- Serve them alongside a holiday spread like this cranberry glazed turkey and spiced sangria.
Before you preheat the oven, here are a few questions bakers tend to ask.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my gingerbread muffins dense instead of fluffy?
Dense muffins usually come from overmixing. Stir the batter just until the dry ingredients disappear, and the applesauce will help keep the crumb light.
Can I make these without coarse sugar?
Yes. The coarse sugar is optional. The muffins are still flavorful without it; you just lose the sparkly, crunchy top.
Can I use a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer?
Absolutely. A hand mixer works fine for beating the butter and wet ingredients together.
Can I freeze these muffins?
Yes. Wrap them well and freeze for up to three months, then thaw at room temperature and warm before serving.
Once you have these in your rotation, you may never wait in a coffee-shop line again. They fill the kitchen with the smell of the season and taste even better fresh from your own oven.
Bakery Style Gingerbread Muffins
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Ingredients
- 2½ cups flour
- 2 tsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup coarse sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat ove to 350º.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer over low speed combine butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, applesauce, molasses and egg.
- Add flour mixture and milk, alternating each until just combined. Scoop into muffin cups and top with coarse sugar.
- Bake until when a toothpick is inserted, it comes out clean. About 25-30 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These muffins look marvelous Melanie! I love the coarse sugar and your pix are beautiful. What a perfect Christmas morning treat. I love the strong, bold ginger flavor too. Well done, I can’t wait to try these wonderful, warm and fluffy creations!
Thank you! These didn’t even last the day. They are all gone!
Those are so pretty! Gingerbread is one of my favorites and I also love the crunchy sugar on muffins.
Me too. The crunchy tops are my favorite. I also like a good crumb topping too.
These look so easy and yummy
I think I might have to go get some ginger 
Yup, go get some and make these as soon as possible. And please let me know what you think!!
These look fabulous! Love the crunchy muffin tops!
Me too. And they are so easy to make!
Oh my goodness! I was just thinking about gingerbread muffins this weekend and how I need to find a perfect recipe for them and here you are with this. Thank you, you’re the best!
Thanks Johanna! I think you’ll really like them. They are so simple and so good.
I can’t wait to try these, they look and sound like a perfect seasonal muffin! Beautiful blog, so glad to have found you through Foodgawker
I am so glad you found me.
Let me know if you try them and what you think!
These muffins look awesome!
Thank you Angie. The coarse sugar makes all of the difference!
These look so delicious Melanie! My absolute favorite during the holidays… gingerbread muffins
Thanks Karista! They sure didn’t last long. I have to make another batch and hide some so I actually get one with my morning coffee.
I made these today so the kids would smell warm gingerbread as the came home from school. I can’t lie, I had to try one to make sure they were perfect, and they are!! Thank you for the great recipe Melanie!
This is so pretty and sparkly! I could almost wear it. I want to make this for my family soon. Thanks.
Lol, they do seem to sparkle, don’t they? Let me know how they turn out for you!
I just got my coarse sugar today. I will be making these for Saturday morning. I can’t wait. Yours are so beautiful!
Just made these today – they smell wonderful!!! Can’t wait to try them!
Awesome! Please let me know what you think!!
My muffins looked absolutely wonderful, too. The aroma in the home was incredible. The taste perfect! The only thing, they were a bit more chewy than I was expecting. Would it be possible that I messed up in the “science” of mixing? Thanks!
Hmmm, it’s hard to say since I’m not in your kitchen, lol. That said, are you at a higher altitude? Sometimes that’s the culprit. If not, then beat them a little longer next time. This will fluff them up a bit more. I’d say add two more minutes of beating at medium speed. If it was a damp day, that could have an effect too. Hope that helps.
Hi! They sound wonderful. My last recipe for gingerbread muffins came out tough. I was told beating too much
made them tough. Maybe they are referring to the second part where you add the flour and milk?
Wow, I’m a baking novice and these were simple to make. Turned out so well, a big hit around here.
Cheers
M
Hooray! Thank you for the feedback. I’m so glad you liked them.
Hi! These muffins look absolutely stunning, and the recipe really make me sense the feeling of Christmas. I am definitely going to try this this year, but I have one question (that might be very stupid, since no one else has been asking): is it Fahrenheit degrees, or Celsius? I would love to get an answer, since I can’t wait to try this out! Thank you so much!
(And sorry for my incredibly poor English, I’m from Sweden, so I hope you don’t mind)
These do look great…and the temperature is in Fahrenheit . It wasn’t a dumb question, and your English really was not bad!
Thank you so much for the answer!
I just made these muffins for a get together and they were delicious! The only thing I adjusted was the temperature. I was aiming for high dome muffins so I put the batch in at 450 degrees for the first 5 minutes and then lowered the temp back down. I have never had this trick work as well as it did with these, they blossomed into large bakery worthy muffins. I reduced the overall baking time as well to not over dry them.
Might try Henna’s trick next time!
Hello! New to your website – and very new to baking especially given the how old I am! ! I tried these today and, whilst the taste was absolutely amazing (I thought! ) they didn’t rise as much as I’d hoped. Probably me but … any thoughts?
All best wishes,
Penny
I just baked these and must say that they are quite delicious! Mine turned out light and moist. I did try not to over mix them and only baked them for 22 minutes. I put some red and green colored cookie sugar on top and they are so pretty! I will definitely make these again! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi –
Am I correct in assuming, ginger powder is the same as ground ginger?
Looking forward to making these! thank you.
Yes, it sure is. Sorry for the confusion.
Thanks!!! Now to get busy in the kitchen/
Did you use pure maple syrup? I have the “fake” kind and am wondering if that would work.
Yes, I used real maple syrup. I wouldn’t recommend using imitation.