Ginger Lemon Muffins

Makes about 12 medium sized muffins + 2 mini springform pans.

Don't skip the lemon glaze. It turns a mild, merely good muffin into great.

Ingredients

• 1.25 cups all purpose flour + 1.5 cups whole wheat flour (2.75 cups all purpose is fine)
• 1/2 tsp + 3/16 tsp baking soda
• 3 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt (original recipe called for 1/2 tsp)
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup mild-flavored light molasses
• 2.5 tsp grated (or finely minced) fresh ginger
• 1 cup cold water
• 1/3 cup milk

• 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 5 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degF. Line 12 muffin tin with paper muffin liners (or grease). Grease the mini springforms (or whatever you're using for the overflow). If you have a standard 1/3 cup muffin pan, the recipe should make 16.

Whisk flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl to blend.

Using electric blender, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat to blend. Beat in molasses and fresh ginger. Add half of dry ingredients, bleating until blended. Beat in remaining dry ingredients. Gradually add water and milk and beat until incorporated.

Fill muffin cups almost full, put excess in prepared pans. Bake until tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool 10 minutes.

While muffins are baking, make the glaze. Whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Spoon lemon glaze over tops of warm muffins, using about 1 tablespoon glaze for each. The warm muffins help the glaze dry a little and become less runny.

Note: We first made the original version in Nov 2005.
 

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