Celebrating Gingerbread Season
The time in between Thanksgiving and Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year. Sure, the holidays themselves are great, but there’s nothing quite like the anticipation leading up to the main event. It’s the season of ice skating, string lights and festive decorations, and most importantly, eating everything gingerbread.
Maple gingerbread muffins (Photo: Lanna Nguyen/DC on Heels)
Growing up, my family was never very big on baking gingerbread men or decorating gingerbread houses. I feel like I have a lot of lost time to make up for and have made it my personal quest to bake anything and everything gingerbread this holiday season. First up? These awesome maple gingerbread muffins. I came across this recipe a few days ago and knew I had to make them. They’re perfect when paired with hot cocoa or coffee (dare I recommend a gingerbread latte from Starbucks?) and have been my go-to breakfast and afternoon snack for the past two days. It also helps that they’re super easy to make. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup milk
raw sugar for topping
Maple gingerbread muffins (Photo: Lanna Nguyen/DC on Heels)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line a muffin tin with liners
3. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves. Set aside.
4. In a larger bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and egg until combined.
5. Whisk in the molasses, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk in the melted butter until everything is combined, then stir in the dry ingredients until combined, taking care not to over mix. Before the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, stir in the milk until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps.
6. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling them up about 3/4 of the way full. Top each with a generous sprinkle of raw sugar. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the muffin tops are fully set (mine took a little longer, about 25 minutes).
Recipe via How Sweet Eats
