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Twice-Ginger Gingerbread Muffins

Source of Recipe

From "Sunday Brunch" by Betty Rosbottom


Recipe Introduction

"Gingerbread, that universal favorite, gets a new look and takes far less time to bake when prepared in muffin tins. These irresistible muffins, which rise above the rims of the molds but do not spread out as much as traditional ones, are extra rich and have a deep-brown hue thanks to plenty of dark brown sugar and molasses. There's also a double dose of ginger in these little cakes; ground ginger is added to the batter, and halfway through the baking, chopped crystallized ginger is sprinkled atop each muffin."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pans
â—¦ 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
â—¦ 2 teaspoons ground ginger
â—¦ 1 teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
â—¦ ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
â—¦ 2 eggs
â—¦ ¾ cup unsulphured molasses
â—¦ 1 cup boiling water
â—¦ ¾ cup coarsely chopped crystallized ginger


Recipe

Arrange a rack at center position and heat the oven to 350° F. Butter and flour the cups of two standard-size muffin pans, use a baking spray, or line them with paper cup liners. Depending on the size of your muffin tins (they can vary from â…“- to ½-cup capacity), you may get 18 to 19 muffins from the batter.

Sift together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg into a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and brown sugar until well blended and smooth, about 3 minutes, stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary. Add the eggs, one at a time. Then reduce the speed to low and beat in the dry ingredients. Add the molasses and beat for several seconds until blended. Then add the boiling water and beat a few seconds more until blended. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them three-fourths full.

Bake until the tops are set but the mixture beneath is jiggly, about 10 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and sprinkle the crystallized ginger over the top of each muffin. Return to the oven and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 9 to 10 minutes more.

Remove and cool in the tins for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. The muffins can be prepared 2 days ahead; cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes about 18 muffins
(to serve 9)