A baked good for the true ginger fanatic, these muffins pack some serious spice thanks to the addition of grated fresh ginger, ground ginger and minced crystallized ginger. Molasses, a key ingredient in traditional gingerbread, gives the muffins a beautiful golden hue and helps keep them moist for days — if they last that long. (Any variety of molasses will work here, but there may be some color variation depending on the brand used.) For larger, bakery-style muffins, use a jumbo muffin pan and bake the muffins for a few extra minutes.
Recipe by Lidey Heuck for the New York Times
1 cup/201 grams granulated sugar
½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup molasses
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger (from a 2-inch piece)
2 cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
¾ cup/108 grams, plus 3 tablespoons/27 grams minced crystallized ginger
Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, butter, eggs, milk, molasses and grated ginger, and whisk until smooth.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. (Be careful not to over-mix! The batter will be slightly lumpy.) Stir in 3/4 cup crystallized ginger, reserving the remaining 3 tablespoons for the topping.
Using an ice cream scoop or a large spoon, divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the reserved crystallized ginger onto the tops of the muffins, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the muffins spring back when lightly pressed.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then carefully transfer muffins to a cooling rack and cool completely.