Gingerbread Party Muffins
These Gingerbread Party Muffins are loaded with molasses, warm spices, and just the right amount of sweetness for a festive treat. Perfect for breakfast trays, classroom parties, or anytime you get a gingerbread craving.
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Muffins
- 13.25 oz. box box spice cake mix
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp molasses
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 eggs large
- 1 tsp vanilla
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice optional
Optional Ingredients
- sanding sugar
- ginger snaps
- cinnamon sugar
Instructions
For Muffins
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 12 wrappers. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the cake mix, flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, molasses, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir together just until combined. Don't over mix! Batter should be nice and thick.
- Evenly fill the wrappers with batter, they will be 3/4 full. *Optional* if you would like to add sanding sugar, sprinkle just before baking.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees. Turn down to 350 degrees and continue baking for 15 more minutes. Or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then move to a rack to finish cooling.
Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and (optional lemon juice), scraping down the sides as you go, until completely combined.
- Frost the muffins either with a piping bag or spread with a knife.Scoop frosting into a large piping bag, fitted with a 2D or 1M Wilton tip. Make a swirl of frosting on each muffin. Optional : Sprinkle the frosting with cinnamon sugar for decoration and top with half of a ginger snap cookie.*
Notes
- You can turn any cake mix into a muffin mix. The most common changes to a box cake mix recipe include, adding aprox 2 tbsp of flour, not over mixing the batter, and the baking temperatures and time. By just mixing until combined, you will create a more dense crumb similar to a muffin. Give your muffins a quick shot in the oven at a high temperature, this will help to create that dome muffin top look. Baking at 350 or 375 for the entire time will slow down the rise and give you more of a cupcake type dome.
- You can use a gingerbread cake mix, though it's seasonal. If you purchase a gingerbread cake mix instead, omit the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg spices and switch out the molasses with sour cream or Greek yogurt. If you prefer a stronger gingerbread flavor, keep the molasses.