Fall Flavors: Milk Kefir Gingerbread Muffins

~ Carrie

I love a good muffin: it’s a self-contained, pre-portioned snack with the flexibility of being either sweet or savory. Muffins are especially well-suited for home baking because they’re usually easy to make and very forgiving. With Autumn’s now-chilly weather here, the spiciness of gingerbread is a welcome comfort.

Feel free to adjust the spices to your tastes – this combination provided a good representation of my idea of what gingerbread should taste like! Makes a dozen muffins.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups flour (1 cup white plus 1 1/2 cup wheat)
  • 1 Tbsp powdered ginger
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 1 Tbsp ground psyllium husk (optional)
  • 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup milk kefir plus 3 Tbsp (use more if your milk kefir is very thick)
  • For topping: 1/4 cup chopped candied ginger (optional)

Instructions

  1. Grease a standard-sized (12 cavity) muffin pan
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  3. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together
  4. If refrigerated, heat applesauce and milk kefir until room temperature (to prevent them from causing the coconut oil to solidify). Using a hand mixer, beat the wet ingredients together thoroughly.
  5. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix until the ingredients are combined (stop when all dry ingredients appear to be incorporated).
  6. Scoop the batter into the muffin pan and, if desired, sprinkle the chopped candied ginger on top.
  7. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Oven-ready!

Spicy and warming, these dark and dense muffins pair nicely with a cup of coffee or tea. The psyllium husk adds extra fiber, and you won’t even notice it; moistness is provided by the coconut oil, the milk kefir, and applesauce. I’m a big ginger fan, so candied ginger is a bonus on these muffins – the muffins themselves aren’t super sweet, so the pop of sweet/spicy ginger really wakes up the tastebuds!

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