Spiced Molasses Gingerbread Muffins Recipe for Cozy Mornings

If you want a cozy spiced treat to start the day, these gingerbread muffins are ideal. Moist, bakery-style muffins flavored with molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves come together in one bowl and are ready in about 30 minutes.

Soft and fluffy with a crunchy coarse-sugar topping, they make a quick breakfast or afternoon snack—especially delightful during the holidays.

Muffin recipes are perfect because they’re quick, portable, and keep well for the week. These are bakery-style with tall, craggy tops—the part everyone reaches for first.

We often add coarse sugar for an extra crunch on top, the same finishing touch used on pistachio, banana, and pumpkin sour cream muffin variations.

While great any time, these spiced muffins are especially well suited to holiday mornings when you need an easy breakfast for a crowd.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Cozy holiday flavor — All the warming gingerbread spices in a portable muffin form, perfect for festive mornings or when you want that seasonal flavor any day.

Quick and easy — No special equipment and minimal hands-on time. The batter is made in one bowl and the muffins bake fast.

Great texture — Sour cream keeps the interior tender and moist, while coarse sugar on top adds a satisfying crunch.

Ingredients

• Baking soda — helps the muffins rise and produce tall tops.
• Ground spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves) — the warm spice blend that defines gingerbread.
• Neutral oil — canola or vegetable oil keeps the batter light and moist.
• Molasses — provides deep color and rich, earthy sweetness; dark unsulphured molasses is recommended.
• Brown sugar — adds caramel notes and balances the spices.
• Sour cream — the key to an extra-moist crumb and a subtle tang.
• Coarse sugar — turbinado or demerara gives the tops a pleasant crunch.

See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list with quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

• Molasses choice: Dark unsulphured is classic; blackstrap creates a deeper, slightly bitter flavor if you prefer bolder taste.
• Change size: Make mini muffins (bake 10–12 minutes) or jumbo muffins (add ~5 minutes; test with a toothpick).
• Citrus zest: Add 1 tablespoon orange or lemon zest to brighten the flavor and complement the spices.
• Sour cream swaps: Use full-fat Greek yogurt or buttermilk for similar moisture and tang.
• Extra spice: Add a pinch of nutmeg or allspice, or increase the cinnamon for more warmth.
• Mix-ins: Fold in ½ cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or chocolate chips for texture and variety.

How to Make This Recipe

One: Whisk together the molasses, melted butter, oil, sugar, and vanilla until combined.

Two: Add the egg and sour cream, whisking until smooth.

Three: Combine the wet and dry ingredients and fold until just combined; a few lumps are fine.

Four: Divide the batter into a prepared 12-cup muffin tin, filling the cups to the top for tall domed tops.

Hot tip! Use a large trigger cookie scoop to portion batter quickly and evenly.

Five: Sprinkle coarse sugar on top if desired for crunch.

Six: Bake using a high-to-low temperature method: start high for a few minutes, then lower the heat and finish baking until a toothpick comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. Cool slightly before removing from the pan.

Expert Tips

• Measure flour accurately: Use a digital scale or fluff, scoop, and level to avoid dense muffins.
• Don’t overmix: Stir only until the dry ingredients are incorporated to keep the crumb tender.
• Fill to the top: Filling each cup to the rim produces a taller, domed top.
• High-to-low bake: Starting at a higher temperature for the first few minutes helps set the top and create extra lift, then reduce the oven temperature to finish baking.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. To refresh the sugared tops, warm briefly in a toaster oven or regular oven.

To freeze, cool completely, wrap each muffin individually, and place in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw and warm before serving.

More Muffin Recipes You’ll Love

What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum

• Recipes use Diamond Crystal kosher salt by default; if using a different kosher or sea salt, reduce the amount as needed. Avoid table salt substitutions without adjusting quantities.
• You can toggle between cups and metric in the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale yields the most consistent results.
• Use the 1X/2X/3X servings buttons to scale ingredient quantities; remember to adjust baking times for different batch sizes or pan sizes.

Gingerbread Muffins

Equipment

• 12-cup muffin tin
• Cupcake liners
• Mixing bowls
• Whisk

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup neutral oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ¾ cup molasses (dark, unsulphured recommended)
• ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
• ¼ cup coarse sugar (for topping), optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk the melted butter, oil, vanilla, molasses, and brown sugar. Add the egg and sour cream and whisk until smooth.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold until just combined; the batter will be thick.
5. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling to the top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if using. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes.
6. After 5 minutes, reduce the oven to 350°F (leave the muffins in the oven) and bake an additional 14–15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Notes

Nutrition (estimate)