Many years ago when I was living in Singapore, I became obsessed with a limited edition range of products from the Body Shop. It was for Christmas and it was called Sugar And Spice. I think it might have become my single most favourite scent. And to this day, I think about it especially around Christmas when little whiffs and puffs of sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, spice, maple, oak and cherry escape into the air like little smoke dragons enticing and tempting us mere mortals.
I started baking a batch of gingerbread muffins over the weekend. As I mixed the batter, I became nostalgic again. But this time it was different. The aroma was fantastically close to the one I have been missing for so many years. As I heaped the ground ginger and sprinkled an extra dash of mixed spice, my senses transcended to that Christmas in Singapore. Sugar And Spice. And I knew I had to share this one right away. My most favourite scent in the whole world crammed into a batch of proud high-topped golden brown soft crumbly muffins peppered with a dust of cinnamon and a kiss of icing sugar. For your eating pleasure!
I have also shared a free printable recipe template for Christmas greeting cards so you can share some sugar and spice of your own!
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GINGERBREAD MUFFINS
Beautiful gingerbread muffins for Christmas that are warm and crumbly and smell of sugar and spice and everything nice!
Makes - 6 large muffins
Ingredients
125g softened butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tablespoon mixed spice
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of salt
1/4 cup milk
1 cup self raising flour
Method
Preheat oven to 200C. Line a 6-hole large muffin tin with paper cases. (I used 6 large scalloped edge muffin paper cups).
Place butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt in a large bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, ginger, cinnamon and mixed spice. Beat for a minute.
Add flour and milk and beat until well combined. Spoon mixture in muffin cases until each is 2/3rds full. Sprinkle extra cinnamon on top (optional).
Bake in oven for approximately 15 minutes until cooked through, risen and golden brown on top. Remove from oven and cool in cases on wire rack.
Serve dusted with icing sugar.
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These sound amazing any chance they could be made gluten free please and if so what flour would you suggest? Thank you can’t wait to make them!
new to your blog. just made these-amazing muffins. i wouldn't change a thing. love the texture and flavor. also, had i seen this post before Christmas, i would have used your cute template for the recipe and made them for my friends. next year! thanks for the great recipe and gift idea! looking forward to following you.
Sneh, these are delicious. Thank you. I baked them for my kids and they ate them all up even my fussy 4 year old. Didn't have any ground ginger so I used fresh grated around and it was fine. x
These were great with softened dried figs chopped up and mixed through.
these look heavenly & I can not wait to try them! perfect for the change in seasons... these flavours always remind me of autumn!
Beautiful images! I'm a ginger junkie, too. I love those muffin cups, and the printable recipe is adorable. Looking forward to perusing your site more! Cheers.
These are very tasty! I found you over on foodgawker and was in a muffin mood, so this recipe found it's way into my home at the perfect time. 😀
For other US recipe-makers, here are the few substitutions I made:
I used one US stick of butter (115g or 1/2C, 8T).
For the mixed spice, I subbed in more cinnamon (maybe 1t?), about 1/2t nutmeg, 1/2t allspice, and a good dash of ground cloves. I think traditionally there is mace and maybe cardamom in mixed spice, but I had neither on hand, so I made due with what I had, and these turned out delicious!
Hubby loved them too!
This look and sound delicious - however I have no clue what "mixed spice" is - would you mind elaborating?
These made my kitchen smell like Mrs. Claus's!!
Thank you Sneh, the muffins were delicious. They were gone so quickly, I shall have to make a batch myselft now!
Sugar and spice are what the holidays are all about, lovely.
I noticed the milk was not mentioned in the recipe. Do you add the milk at same time as eggs, etc., or at the end with the flour?
Thanks.
ah oversight. Thanks for picking it up. Goes in with the flour. Cheers!
I made these yesterday...so good, they are all gone and the kids are requesting more 🙂
These li'l guys are so cute!
Beautiful muffins, I love your paper muffin cups!
oh my GOSH so beautiful! Ans I LOVE those christmas punch-out banner sooo much! I have to have it! Do let me know what you used!
Lovely muffins! So festive tasting.
Cheers,
Rosa
This is gorgeous...I think I will make these this afternoon. Your photos are to-die-for!
The scent of Gingerbread always says Christmas to me too 🙂 Love the amount of spice you've used in this, all these recipes with a scant 1/2 tsp just don't do it for me!