Usually I think of making gingerbread during the winter holidays, but here’s a summerized version in muffin form! Fresh blackberries make these muffins moist and of course the ginger and molasses give these muffins that great gingerbread taste. I had clipped this recipe from an old issue of Victoria magazine and modified it slightly. The original recipe was supposed to have made 18 muffins; I added in extra blackberries, and came up with 24 to 26 muffins, or 24 muffins and 1 mini-loaf. Making the mini-loaf works out great because you can bake it right along with your muffins–it will just need about 5 to 10 minutes extra baking time.
I also added a creamy glaze with a blackberry on top, because without any glaze or garnish these flat-topped muffins look quite plain. In other words, they are not the prettiest-looking muffins without anything on top. But they do taste great plain, so if you don’t mind them looking that way, you can skip the glaze.
I never would have thought of combining blackberries and gingerbread on my own, but I liked it alot! If you like gingerbread, you’ll have to try this out!
BLACKBERRY GINGERBREAD MUFFINS by NancyC, adapted from Victoria Magazine
Makes 26 muffins (or 24 muffins and 1 mini loaf)
- 3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 cup unsulphured molasses
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups fresh blackberries
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line muffin pans with 24 paper liners; set aside. Grease and flour a mini-loaf pan; set aside.
In a medium bowl, blend together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice.
In a large bowl, cream softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add molasses, eggs (one at a time), and buttermilk and mix until everything is combined well.
Add the flour mixture all at once to the butter/molasses mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the berries and mix to distribute evenly in batter.
Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full, and put the rest of the batter in your mini-loaf pan. Bake muffins at 350˚F for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; your mini-loaf will need to bake about 5 to 10 minutes longer. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire rack.
If desired, drizzle muffins with glaze…
CREAMY GLAZE and BERRY GARNISH
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Half & Half (light cream)
- 26 blackberries for garnish
In a small bowl, blend powdered sugar and Half & Half until smooth and creamy. Drizzle over cooled muffins and top each muffin with a blackberry in the center.
A summery gingerbread is definitely a new thing for me! Have you tried any different twists on gingerbread?
Linked to Fiesta Friday at The Novice Gardener.
I can’t wait to try these after blackberry picking this summer… yum!!
Loved the recipe Nancy! Gingerbread cookie in a muffin, almost :).
Oh, what a combination Nancy…blackberries and ginger! Looks delish!
What a creative yummy looking muffin Nancy!!
What a great combination! Never, ever would have thought about it! These sound and look lovely!
Thanks, Lori! 🙂
They look delicious, I would have never thought to combine the two either!
What a wonderful combination of ingredients. These looks fantastic! Happy Fiesta Friday! 🙂
Happy Fiesta Friday to you, too! 🙂
What a wonderful combination- the blackberries must provide the perfect complement to the spice of the gingerbread. Photos look amazing as usual too- Nice one Nancy!
Thank you, Jess! 🙂
These look so great! I love blackberries and gingerbread but have never put the two together.
Hi Nancy, I am co-hosting this week – welcome! A fairly genius paring of gingerbread and blackberries, Nancy and the photos look so good too. Thank you so much for sharing these with us. Happy Fiesta Friday!
love the combo of spices you have used in here….this looks fab….happy Fiesta friday…
Thanks, Chitra! 🙂
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These muffins look divine! Love the warmth you get from gingerbread!
Love these muffins, spicy gingerbread and blackberries what an amazing combination,
Blackberries and ginger is very intriguing. Cupcakes are gorgeous. 😛
Thank you, Fae! 🙂
Such good looking muffins. Only if i could take one off the screen. 😀
Wish I could pass one over to you through the screen, Sadia! 🙂
Those muffins look so good with that glaze and berry on top – I agree, why not make them look pretty too! Thanks for bringing them to the party. I know the FF guests are enjoying them.
This is a very interesting combination of flavors and your recipe I need to try – I make a lot of gingerbread but have never included blackberries 🙂
I think I would love this recipe! I can almost taste them 🙂
These look irresistible to me Nancy! Blackberries and gingerbread – not a combination I would have ever come up with but now that I see it here I can almost imagine the deliciousness of bringing these two together! Thanks for bringing this to Fiesta Friday! 🙂
My hubby would love these–anything gingerbread, but the addition of blackberries, oh my! Thank you for the recipe. XOXO
You’re welcome, Susan! 🙂
This combo of flavours is really original. Can’t wait to try it 🙂
That looks so so good! 😀
Love the photographs!
Happy Fiesta Friday!
Thank you, Sarah! 🙂
These look so sweet, the blackberries are ripening up a little earlier this year in the Pacific northwest, now I know one thing that I will be baking, Thanks!
You’re welcome, Cheri! 🙂
Oh, I know that these are going to be delicious! I can’t wait to make them! Your photos are so perfect, Nancy. .. LOVE. ❤
Thanks, Prudy, and hope you have a great week! 🙂
They look sooo appealing. Wow, thanks so much for sharing!
wow these look and sound so good, I definitely need to try them!
Nancy these look lovely! What a great way to use the blackberries from my garden 🙂
Blackberry and gingerbread! Now that’s a new combo I need to try!