These Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Muffins are the perfect winter holiday muffin recipe.
Filled with dark rich molasses and lots of warming spices they pair perfectly with a hot cup of coffee or tea on a cold winter morning.
Muffins and other quick breads are so quick and easy to mix together. You don't even need a mixer.

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Get ready for some festive sourdough baking. Do you love gingerbread? Try these Sourdough Molasses Cookies or these Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Cookies.
Here are a few more sourdough muffin recipes I'm sure you will love: Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins, Lemon Poppy Seed Sourdough Muffins, Sourdough Chocolate Chip Muffins, Sourdough Raspberry Muffins, and Cranberry Orange Sourdough Muffins.
Recipe Ingredients
All you need are a few basic pantry ingredients to make these Homemade Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Muffins.
All-Purpose Flour: No special flours are needed for these cookies. All-purpose flour is perfect. For accuracy, the best way to measure the flour is by using a digital kitchen scale.
Tip: If you don't have a digital scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it with the back of a butter knife. Try not to compress the flour into the measuring cup.
Corn Starch: Adding cornstarch to muffins reduces gluten formation and gives them a lighter softer texture.
Salt: I add at least a pinch of salt to all of my recipes. Salt complements and intensifies the other flavors. For all of my recipes, I use Morton Kosher Salt which packs more densely than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you are using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt you will want to double the amount of salt you add.
Sourdough Discard: Don't worry your muffins won't be sour. This is plenty of sugar to eliminate the sourdough flavor. Bring your sourdough discard to room temperature before adding it to the recipe. It will be easier to incorporate. Active starter or sourdough discard can be used for this recipe.
Pro Sourdough Tip: Keep a glass jar in your refrigerator to store your sourdough discard. Continue adding to it until you have enough to make your chosen sourdough discard recipe.
Oil: Because oil remains a liquid at room temperature it helps to create a moist muffin. Use either canola or vegetable oil.
Greek Yogurt: I originally used buttermilk for these muffins but didn't love the texture. Using Greek yogurt gave them a spongier fluffier texture.
Molasses: Molasses helps give these cookies their classic flavor. For these cookies, I used medium molasses. I suggest not using blackstrap molasses as the flavor will be too bitter.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
Loaf Pans: Muffins and quickbreads are very similar and can often be baked in a loaf pan instead of a muffin pan.
- Pour the batter into the 2 greased 9x5 loaf pans and bake at 350°F for 60 to 65 minutes. The cranberry orange bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Jumbo or Mini Muffins:
- For mini muffins, bake at 350°F for 11-13 minutes. Yields about 48 mini muffins.
- For jumbo-size muffins baked at 425°F for 5 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350°F for 25-30 minutes. Yields about 12 jumbo muffins.
Greek Yogurt: If you don't have Greek yogurt you could also use sour cream or buttermilk. Muffins made with buttermilk will have a denser texture.
Sourdough Discard: You can use either sourdough discard or sourdough starter.
Spices: These cookies are filled with lots of different spices; ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. You could also substitute 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice for the spices. The flavor will be slightly different but it will work in a pinch.
Are you new to sourdough? I have plenty of information to help you on your sourdough journey.
Step by Step Directions
Step 1: Move the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease two standard 12-count muffin pans with nonstick spray or line them with muffin papers. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, kosher salt, and cloves until well combined.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, add the Greek yogurt, sourdough discard, brown sugar, neutral oil, molasses, egg, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Step 5: Divide the muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups filling nearly to the top.
Sprinkle each muffin with coarse sugar.
Tip: Do not overmix the batter. Overmixing can incorporate too much air causing the muffins to rise quickly and then fall in the center as they bake. Overmixing can also create tough muffins.
Tips: Use a cookie scoop to evenly portion the cupcake batter into the muffin pans.
Step 8: Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and continue to bake for 10 to 13 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Step 9: Allow the muffins to cool for several minutes in the muffin pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tip: Starting the muffins at a higher temperature will boost the rise giving you a taller muffin top.
Tip: Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin, if it comes out clean, the muffins are done. For ways to check the muffin's doness read this post: How to Tell Banana Bread is Done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Muffins can be baked with or without liners. If baked with liners they will have a softer outside texture. Muffins baked without liners will be slightly crispier and darker on the outside.
I couldn't find jumbo muffin liners at my local store, so I bought these muffin liners from Amazon.
To get a tall muffin, start baking your muffins at a higher temperature then after about five minutes lower the temperature.
I start my muffins at 425°F and then lower the temperature to 350°F. Starting at a higher temperature gives the baking soda and baking powder a nice boost of heat that encourages leavening.
It also allows the outside of the muffin to set quickly giving the inside the structure it needs to keep rising.
These muffins will stay moist for a couple of days when stored at room temperature. Leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
For longer storage, keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week.
They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and place them in a zip-top bag. Thaw muffins at room temperature.
Expert Tips
- Muffins bake best on the middle rack of the oven. Too low and the bottoms will burn, too high and the tops will brown too quickly.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. A few lumps are fine. Overmixing will create too much gluten causing your muffins to be tough.
- Use a cookie scoop to evenly portion the cupcake batter into the muffin pans.
- Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin, if it comes out clean, the muffins are done. For ways to check the muffin's doness read this post: How to Tell Banana Bread is Done.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
Thanks for Reading!
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๐ Recipe
Sourdough Gingerbread Muffins
Equipment
- muffin liners
- mixing bowls
Ingredients
Sourdough Raspberry Muffins
- 1 ยผ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ยฝ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ยฝ teaspoon ground allspice
- ยผ teaspoon baking soda
- ยผ teaspoon kosher salt
- โ teaspoon ground cloves
- ยพ cup Greek yogurt room temperature
- ยฝ cup sourdough discard room temperature
- ยฝ cup brown sugar light or dark
- โ cup neutral oil canola or vegetable
- ยผ cup unsulphured or dark molasses do not use blackstrap
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- coarse sugar for topping
Instructions
- Move the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease one muffin pan with nonstick spray or line them with muffin papers. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 ยผ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ยฝ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ยฝ teaspoon ground allspice, ยผ teaspoon baking soda, ยผ teaspoon kosher salt, and โ teaspoon ground cloves until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, add the ยพ cup Greek yogurt, ยฝ cup sourdough discardยฝ cup brown sugar, โ cup neutral oilยผ cup unsulphured or dark molasses, 1 large egg, and 2 tablespoons vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few lumps are fine.
- Divide the muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups filling nearly to the top.
- Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and continue to bake for 10 to 13 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
- Allow the muffins to cool for several minutes in the muffin pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
-
- Muffins bake best on the middle rack of the oven. Too low and the bottoms will burn, too high and the tops will brown too quickly.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. A few lumps are fine. Overmixing will create too much gluten causing your muffins to be tough.
- Use a cookie scoop to evenly portion the cupcake batter into the muffin pans.
- Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin, if it comes out clean, the muffins are done.
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