Gingerbread Mini-muffins

Jason’s Deli is one of my favorite places to eat. Brandon and I go there at least once a week just to eat their salad bar. But the real draw of this place are their gingerbread muffins. They are complimentary and they are DELICIOUS. In fact, they might possibly have crack in them because they are so addictive. I decided a few weeks ago that I just had to figure out how to make them at home. Four batches later, I think I’ve gotten as close as I can. It’s hard to tell since I can’t do a side-by-side taste test, but these are pretty darn close. Brandon said he thought they tasted exactly the same. I think the original muffins are a bit sweeter, but that’s probably because they have high fructose corn syrup or 8 pounds of sugar or something like that, so I’m willing to sacrifice some sweetness if it will reduce the calorie count (according to my google research the original muffins are 220 calories, which is a lot for something you can eat in one bite).

Of course, the real test was yesterday when Brandon brought a whole batch to his coworkers. They turned out to be a giant hit and were just as addictive as the original muffins are because everyone kept coming back for more. In my book, that’s a success.

The best thing about this recipe is how simple it is, you can whip it up in about 10 minutes. However, in my opinion these gingerbread muffins taste MUCH better if you let them sit for a while. They just aren’t as sweet or ginger-y when they are warm. I usually let mine cool and then put them in a covered container or plastic bag and let them sit overnight. I find that the flavor has intensified by the next day, but I’ve noticed a difference in flavor even after 4 to 6 hours if you don’t want to wait that long.

Gingerbread Mini-muffins

Gingerbread Mini-muffins

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adapted from Bed and Breakfast Cookbook by Pamela Lanier

Dessert | Yield: 24
Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 15 min | Total time: 30 min

Of course you could make these as normal sized muffins or even a whole loaf, but that’s just not as fun!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1 cup buttermilk*
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

*If you don’t have buttermilk (I almost never do), just add 1 tbsp. of white vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of regular milk and let sit out for about 10 minutes.

The Process:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Spray/butter muffin tins.
  2. Combine sugar, flour, soda, salt and spices in a bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl mix the egg, molasses, milk, and butter.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just blended.
  5. Add to muffin tins** (about 3/4 full, these muffins don’t rise too much, so you don’t have to worry about them overflowing) and bake for 15 minutes. If making normal sized muffins, it’ll be more like 20 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Makeshift Pastry Bag

**I didn’t want to overfill the mini-muffin tins, but spooning the batter in seemed like it would take forever and be messy, so I made up a make-shift pastry bag by pouring the batter into a gallon sized plastic bag, cutting off a very small corner and squeezing the batter into the tins. It worked perfectly and made it very simple to control how much batter went into each one.