Gingerbread muffins with vanilla bean glaze are light, airy and fluffy with warm and fragrant festive spices of ginger and cinnamon, have a traditional dark brown colour from a rich dose of molasses, and are perfectly paired with a drizzle of the best vanilla bean glaze on top. This fun twist on classic gingerbread has all the holiday feels of hard gingerbread but turns it into a delightful breakfast or dessert that you will come back to again and again. The best part? You can be biting into one in about 30 minutes.
Much like our gingerbread bundt cake with maple cinnamon glaze, your house will smell incredibly amazing while you are baking these muffins. Trust me on this one. Those warm holiday spices will just waft throughout your kitchen. And just like the bundt cake, these muffins are super easy to make with just 10 minutes of prep. In fact, I might even recommend switching out Santa's cookies and milk for one or two of these muffins. They are that good.
Ingredients in Gingerbread Muffins
You will need a handful of pantry staples to make these muffins:
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- ground ginger
- ground cinnamon
- salt
- unsalted butter, at room temperature
- granulated sugar
- eggs, at room temperature
- dark molasses - you can substitute with honey if you don't have molasses. The muffins will not be as deep brown in colour but will still taste delicious.
- cold water
- vanilla bean glaze - made with confectioners' sugar, vanilla bean powder and whole milk.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, stand mixer (or hand mixer), 12-tin muffin pan, cupcake liners, and wire cooling rack.
How to Make the Best Gingerbread Muffins with Vanilla Bean Glaze
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a standard 12-tin muffin pan with cupcake liners and coat with nonstick baking spray.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Combine wet ingredients. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in a large bowl and use a hand mixer). Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Then, add molasses and beat until well mixed, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Carefully add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then beat on low speed until incorporated. Add remaining dry ingredients, scraping down the sides, and beat until thoroughly mixed. With the mixer on low, add the cold water. Continue to beat for 2 minutes, or until mixture is very smooth.
- Bake. Divide batter evenly between muffin cups, about ¾ full. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the vanilla bean glaze. While muffins are cooling, make vanilla bean glaze. Combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla bean powder, and milk in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add a little more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Drizzle the glaze on top of the cooled muffins.
Gingerbread Muffins Storing Instructions
- How to store gingerbread muffins: Store freshly baked gingerbread muffins, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- How to freeze gingerbread muffins: To freeze, place baked and cooled muffins into a freezer bag or airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To eat, first let them thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Once thawed, you can also warm them up in the microwave, oven, or air fryer at 300F for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
More Muffin Recipes
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins with Oat Streusel Topping
- Spiced Carrot Muffins
- Cranberry Yogurt Muffins
- Spiced Apple Oatmeal Muffins with Crumb Topping
- Blueberry Yogurt Muffins
Tried this recipe?
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Recipe
Gingerbread Muffins with Vanilla Bean Glaze
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 16 muffins 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Festive gingerbread muffins with vanilla bean glaze are light, airy and fluffy with warm fragrant festive spices and rich molasses. A perfect holiday treat.
Ingredients
Gingerbread Muffins:
- 2 + ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 + ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 + ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup dark molasses
- 1 cup cold water
Vanilla Bean Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a standard 12-tin muffin pan with cupcake liners and coat with nonstick baking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Place butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in a large bowl and use a hand mixer). Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add molasses and beat until well mixed, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Carefully add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then beat on low speed until incorporated. Add remaining dry ingredients, scraping down the sides, and beat until thoroughly mixed. With the mixer on low, add the cold water. Continue to beat for 2 minutes, or until mixture is very smooth.
- Divide batter evenly between muffin cups, about ¾ full. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Vanilla bean glaze: While muffins are cooling, make vanilla bean glaze. Combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla bean powder, and milk in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add a little more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Drizzle the glaze on top of the cooled muffins.
Notes
How to store: Store freshly baked gingerbread muffins, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
How to freeze: To freeze, place baked and cooled muffins into a freezer bag or airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To eat, first let them thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Once thawed, you can also warm them up in the microwave, oven, or air fryer at 300F for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Jeanine says
I used gf flour and they turned out perfectly fluffy and yummy. Thank you!
Julie C says
Can't wait to try these. I plan to make them as mini muffins! The little people at my Christmas brunch are sure to love them, thanks for the recipe!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Oh for sure, the little people will be so excited! Enjoy! 🙂
Pauline Jouvet says
I made them and they are truly amazing! I didn't have molasse so I replaced it with 2 tbspoons of honey. It was very good! Thank you Sam for this receipe! I tried several receipes on your blog, I was never disappointed!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks Pauline! So glad you liked them and thanks for the tip on replacing the molasses with honey. I will add that to the recipes for other people who are looking for alternatives. Thanks!! 🙂