Now that it’s December, I’ve been craving Gingerbread above all else. Gingerbread is not something I ever really used to eat until recently, but now as I’ve gotten older, I have come to absolutely love it. I saw a recipe on Pinterest for Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins that looked amazing, so I decided to modify them using ingredients I had on hand and to make them vegan so that my tummy would be happy. The muffins have such depth of flavor thanks to all the spices and the sweet molasses. The pumpkin keeps the muffins soft and springy and not dry. You don’t taste the pumpkin- the flavor is all gingerbread. They will make your house smell like Christmas while you are baking them. The gingerbread muffins are topped with a simple vanilla glaze, but this is completely optional and you can leave it off if you like. The recipe made 12 muffins, but I froze half so that I wasn’t tempted to eat them all right away. I love having homemade baked goods in the freezer to thaw out when you’re in a pinch. These are a fabulous treat that you can enjoy for dessert, a snack, or even breakfast.
I wanted to point out the baking technique used here to make muffins look very domed and not flat. I originally learned it from Sally’s Baking Addiction: start baking at a higher temperature and reduce the heat after 10 minutes. This makes your muffins look just like bakery muffins! Don’t skip this step!
Note: Make sure to use refined coconut oil so that your gingerbread muffins do not taste like coconut.
Active Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
For the Muffins: 2¼ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup pureed pumpkin 1 large egg 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice ½ teaspoon ground ginger ½ cup refined coconut oil, melted 1/3 cup dark molasses 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
2/3 cup coconut sugar
For the Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar 1-2 tablespoons almond milk ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
For the Muffins:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a standard muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix all remaining muffin ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Do not overmix. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups (each should be filled almost all the way to the top) and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and continue baking for 7 additional minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Cool in the muffin tins for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Glaze (if using): Wisk powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla until completely smooth. Pour one tablespoon of glaze over each cooled muffin.
Store the muffins in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to four days. You can also freeze these gingerbread muffins after cooling.
Nutrition Information per serving (without glaze):
Calories: 209 Fat: 10g Carbs: 29g Protein: 2g Sodium: 336mg Sugar: 20g
*Nutrition information is based on the products I used personally in this recipe. Different products may yield slightly different information.
Source: slightly adapted from Fork Knife Swoon
