These gluten free gingerbread muffins are moist and fluffy with warm holiday spices! They're perfectly sweet and topped with crunchy turbinado sugar.
Gluten Free during the Holidays:
The hardest time to be gluten-free is during the holidays, when holiday parties and gluten-filled goodies abound.
You don't have to miss out, even if you can't tolerate gluten! These gluten-free gingerbread muffins mimic a gluten-filled muffin in both taste and texture.
They boast a soft and moist texture with a quintessential spiced gingerbread flavor!
If you're not a gingerbread fan, try this gluten-free pumpkin bread with a chocolate swirl. It's divine!
Essential Ingredients:
- Butter and oil - Butter adds flavor and oil keeps these muffins moist! I buy butter in bulk at Costco, keeping one pound in the fridge and the rest in the freezer.
- Brown sugar - Brown sugar is sugar mixed with molasses.
- Molasses - Look for unsulphered molasses, not blackstrap molasses. I buy Grandma's original brand. It's essential for that gingerbread flavor!
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour - I used Bob's Red Mill's 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. You can find it at Target, Walmart, or on Amazon. It has the best taste and texture for muffins and cookies!
- Spices - Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves are the classic spices for Gingerbread.
How to Make Gluten Free Gingerbread Muffins:
These gluten-free gingerbread muffins are so simple! Here's what you need to do:
- Beat the butter, sugar, oil, and molasses. It takes a couple minutes to emulsify and lighten in color and texture.
- Add the egg. Beat until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. You may need to scrape the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. The batter should be thick at this point.
- Add the milk. Beat until incorporated. The batter should be thick but light and scoopable.
- Scoop and bake. Scoop the batter into a muffin tin with liners. You should get exactly 12 muffins. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
Can I use any brand of gluten-free flour?
The short answer is no. Why? Because not all brands taste good! Each brand contains a different ratio of alternative flours, starches, and sometimes xanthan gum.
On top of that, not all brands react the same in recipes. I highly recommend using whatever gluten-free flour brand a recipe recommends.
If you use a different brand than this recipe recommends, let us know if it worked in the comments!
Why don't my muffins have tops?
These gingerbread muffins don't have tall muffin tops! They're very light, soft, and moist. I used less gluten-free flour to achieve this and I didn't want to sacrifice that for a tall top.
Storage:
- Never place warm muffins in a zip-top bag or container. Wait for them to completely cool before storing!
- Store the cooled muffins in a zip-top bag or airtight container at room temperature.
- For longer storage, freeze the muffins for up to 3 months.
Gluten Free Holiday Recipes:
- Gluten Free Gingerbread Cake with an Orange glaze
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Maple Frosting
- Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
- Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins
Gluten Free Gingerbread Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin tin
- Stand mixer
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (2.5 ounces)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsulphered molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1¼ cup Bob's Red Mill's 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ cup whole milk (2 ounces)
- turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
- Beat the vegetable oil, melted butter, brown sugar, and molasses until emulsified and lightened in color and consistency, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until a thick batter forms. Scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary.
- Add the milk to the batter and mix until incorporated.
- Divide the batter between 12 holes in the muffin tin. Sprinkle each muffin with some turbinado sugar.
- Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 22 to 24 minutes. Let the muffins cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
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