The dark molasses in these muffins lends a rich, burnt-sugar taste and almost chocolate-like color to the crumb. Lots of fresh ginger, plus some ground, ensure deep flavor. And even though real gingerbread contains no rum, there is light rum in this batter, making these truly unique. Remember this recipe at Thanksgiving, serve the muffins with the turkey dinner, and see if anyone can identify that hint of Caribbean flavor. A word about grating fresh ginger: We find it easiest to grate it on a small hand-held flat grater, as opposed to the larger box grater, which tends, even when you use the side with the smallest holes, to pulverize the root. You need ¼ cup grated for this recipe, which is quite a bit. Select a firm piece of ginger. Ginger that is soft to the touch is not as young or fresh as it could be (the color of the flesh is darker), and it can be a chore to grate.
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Muffins
Cuisine American, British
Keyword Gingerbread, Muffins
Prep Time 20 minutesmins
Cook Time 25 minutesmins
Total Time 45 minutesmins
Servings 12Muffins
Ingredients
3 ¾cupsall-purpose flour
1 ½teaspoonsbaking soda
1 ½teaspoonsground ginger
1teaspoonsalt
¾teaspoonground cloves
¾teaspoonground cinnamon
1 ½cupsunsulfured molasses
¼cuphot water
¼cuplight rum
¼cupgrated peeled fresh ginger
12tablespoonswhich is1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾cupsugar
1large egg
1large egg yolk
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour muffin cups.
Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, salt, cloves, and cinnamon.
In a medium bowl, combine the molasses with the hot water, rum, and grated ginger.
In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on
medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whole egg and egg yolk and beat for 1 minute; scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the molasses mixture and beat 2 minutes; scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Reduce the mixer speed to low. Beat in the dry ingredients in two parts and continue mixing until no streaks of flour show.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan and serve them warm or at room temperature. Store, well wrapped in plastic, at room temperature or in the freezer