Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins

Warming and deliciously spiced, these indulgent Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins are an easy to make treat the whole family will enjoy.

This recipe was inspired by the gorgeous British countryside, our Lake District, and days gone by. If you love autumnal flavours, you will love these Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins.

The Story Behind The Recipe

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One cool British summer day some years ago, after lunch at the Wordsworth Hotel, my family and I took a walk through the beautiful village of Grasmere. We were drawn to a small 17th century cottage by the heady scent of gingerbread. It was utterly irresistible.

The cottage was formerly a school that boasted poet William Wordsworth amongst its teachers. In the mid 1800‘s this cottage became home to one Sarah Nelson and her family. To make ends meet, Sarah began to make and sell gingerbread. The locals loved it, and eventually Sarah’s Grasmere Gingerbread became famous far and wide. Today Grasmere Gingerbread is still made in Sarah’s own kitchen, using the same recipe that she used all those years ago.

Deep, treacly and heady with the scent of the Indies, Grasmere Gingerbread was like nothing I had ever tasted before. It was tender and moist with a deep, haunting flavour. Just thinking about it now is making my mouth water. Of course, Sarah’s recipe does not contain pumpkin! However, it left me with a bit of an obsession for all things ginger, and made me want to incorporate ginger in more of my recipes.

Bringing My Gingerbread Dreams To Life

A long time ago, the lovely and talented Karen of Trilogy Edibles shared a recipe for Pumpkin Gingerbread Streusel Muffins. The recipe was so deeply, madly, richly gingerbready it immediately reminded me of that day in the Lake District and the taste and smells of Sarah’s cottage.

As an homage to Sarah’s gingerbread, I decided to adapt Karen’s recipe a bit. I substituted brown sugar for white, adjusted the spicing and incorporated crystallised ginger for even more depth. Buttermilk added a bit of extra tang. It isn’t exactly like Grasmere Gingerbread, but my pumpkin gingerbread is pretty close. Just biting into one of these muffins takes me back all those years ago to that lovely little cottage in the Lake District. (Incidentally, if you would like to taste Sarah’s gingerbread, it is available to order online and they ship worldwide. Our son treated us to some not long ago, and it was as delicious as ever!) But back to my muffins…

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins – A Long-Time Family Favourite

I first blogged this recipe some time ago – back in 2013 in fact. The pumpkin gingerbread muffins, the blog, and I have evolved a little bit since then but I still make these muffins regularly, particularly this time of year.

Perfect with a cup of tea, coffee or a cold glass of milk, these Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins get even better with age. They will keep for at least three days in a sealed container at room temperature.

Can I Freeze Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins?

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins freeze really well, with or without the streusel topping. Thaw the muffins overnight in the fridge and serve them slightly warm. Four or five minutes at 325°F or about 150°C usually does the trick.

Recipe Adaptations

When I first developed this recipe I was not as into healthy eating as I am now. That said, I put Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins in the same category as cinnamon rolls, not healthy, but definitely wholesome, something that makes a lovely treat from time to time.

The recipe does contain a lot of sugar, so if you wish, cut the sugar in the muffins back to 1 cup (200 grams). You are unlikely to notice the difference!

You can also make the muffins without the streusel topping if you prefer. They still taste great.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins – Printable Recipe

Created by: April J Harris

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins

Course Breakfast, Muffins

Cuisine British

Servings 18 muffins

Warming and deliciously spiced, these Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins were inspired by a visit to Grasmere in England's Lake District.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• For the streusel:
• ¼ cup all purpose flour all purpose flour is also known as plain flour
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons cold cubed butter
• For the muffins:
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1½ cups lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ¼ cup molasses
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2½ cups all purpose flour all purpose flour is also known as plain flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons very finely chopped crystallised ginger

Instructions

• For the streusel:
• Combine the flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and ginger.
• Add the butter and cut in with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
• Set aside.
• For the muffins:
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Grease and flour or line 18 muffin cups.
• Cream the butter and sugar together.
• Add the pumpkin puree, buttermilk and molasses.
• Beat in the eggs.
• Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
• Stir through the crystallised ginger.
• Add this to the creamed mixture. Blend thoroughly with a wooden spoon but do not over mix.
• Scoop into the prepared muffin pans using an ice cream scoop. Sprinkle with the the streusel.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool before eating. If you can resist, leave the cooled muffins in a sealed container overnight before serving as it allows the flavours to develop.
• Muffins will keep at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or can be frozen.

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