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Home » dessert » Whole Wheat Gingerbread Muffins

Whole Wheat Gingerbread Muffins

Published: Dec 10, 2015 · Modified: Mar 25, 2020 by Louisa Clements · This post may contain affiliate links

This post may contain affiliate links

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30 minutes minutes 22 Comments

Try something on the healthier side for the holidays with these whole wheat gingerbread muffins made with buttermilk, whole wheat flour and aromatic spices.

Holiday baking doesn't always have to be indulgent, try this recipe for whole wheat gingerbread muffins. | livinglou.com

How about some whole wheat gingerbread muffins to kickoff the holiday season? Sounds pretty good, right? Because holiday baking doesn’t always have to be indulgent – but, by all means, bring on the holiday peppermint cookies for dessert and I’ll have my gingerbread muffins for breakfast. Fair compromise? I think so. Every meal should have a hint of the holiday season in it around this time of year.

If you’re looking for your next holiday baking project for the weekend, I think you should give these muffins a try. They are such a simple recipe that uses a mixture of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour along with aromatic spices like ginger, cinnamon and cloves.

There’s some brown sugar in here for a touch of sweetness and of course, molasses. You can’t make gingerbread without the deeply flavourful and slightly tangy molasses.

Holiday baking doesn't always have to be indulgent, try this recipe for whole wheat gingerbread muffins. | livinglou.com

The liquid for these gingerbread muffins comes from an egg and buttermilk, which is the perfect component for these muffins; I was inspired by Bon Appetit’s take on Gingerbread Muffins from Standard Baking Co. in Portland, Maine, where they use buttermilk in the batter and wanted to try my hand at a whole wheat version suited to my needs.

I opted to crust these muffins in coarse sugar (it gives a little holiday sparkle), but if you can’t find coarse sugar or would prefer not to use the extra sugar, I’ve also made them without and they are still delicious. The tops end up beautifully cracked – almost like a muffin you’d get in a bakery. These whole wheat gingerbread muffins look 100% bakery worthy, don’t you think?

I actually brought these tasty muffins to a friend’s house last week and the group of us devoured them (even the dog may or may not have snuck in a little taste while no one was watching…woops, these are not recommended as dog treats, ha!). I used to bring treats to my friends houses pretty often (basically whenever I’d bake something; better to share than have a million cookies or sweets at my house) but it’s been a while.

Recently I’ve been making lots of holiday pies and fall-inspired cheesecakes which I’ve dropped off at a couple of different friends houses, but it’s much easier to bring a container of muffins than an entire cheesecake, which you then have to cut up and find plates/forks/napkins etc. Much more of an ordeal, if you ask me. These healthy holiday inspired muffins are definitely the way to go.

If you’re looking for more healthier holiday recipes, try:

Whole Wheat Gingerbread Muffins

Author: Louisa Clements
3.72 from 14 votes
Pin Print
Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 20 minutes minutes
Total: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
  • ⅔ cup all purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger
  • 2 ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ⅛ tsp cloves
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup molasses
  • ⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp coarse sugar, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375. Line a standard muffin tin with liners.
  • In a large bowl, whisk flours with brown sugar, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cloves.
  • In a separate large bowl, whisk buttermilk with molasses, oil and egg.
  • Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until incorporated, being careful not to over mix the batter.
  • Scoop into 10 lined muffin cups and sprinkle evenly with sugar (if using).
  • Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out dry.
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + rating and let me know what you think!
Filed Under: breakfast, dessert, Holidays, snacks

These whole wheat gingerbread muffins are the perfect not-too-sweet muffin or snack to enjoy this holiday season, let me know if you give this recipe a try.

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Comments

  1. Susan Paxson

    October 16, 2021 at 6:28 am

    These are delicious and healthy too! I will take them to work for breakfast
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      October 20, 2021 at 8:21 pm

      So glad you enjoyed these, Susan!
      Reply
  2. Ada

    October 08, 2020 at 8:26 am

    Hi Lou, what can I substitute the buttermilk with?
    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      November 11, 2020 at 11:32 am

      Hi Ada, so sorry for the delay, I'm just seeing this comment now. You could replace it with a mixture of milk and lemon juice (to replace the buttermilk), I've also heard of people doing a combination of yogurt and milk to create a buttermilk substitute. Let me know how it goes!
      Reply
  3. Barb

    April 19, 2016 at 8:10 pm

    I made these today! They're beautiful, with a nice rounded, crackly top as pictured. Followed the recipe carefully. Tested for doneness at 17 min and they weren't quite done. Took them out at 19 min. They have good flavor, but are a little too dry. Any thoughts on how to add moistness?
    Reply
    • Lou

      April 20, 2016 at 9:47 pm

      Hi Barb, I'm glad you enjoyed the muffins! I'm sorry they seemed a little dry to you, I've actually found these to be quite moist, that said, I would suggest you try adding an extra tablespoon or two of oil next time and see if that makes a difference! :)
      Reply
  4. Danica

    February 26, 2016 at 7:31 pm

    Yum yum yum! These muffins are so good, I just made a batch and my house smells incredible. I added 1 tsp of this chai spice blend to the batter and it has put these muffins over the top, I highly recommend it! https://www.etsy.com/listing/263470098/medicinal-masala-chai-blend Thanks for the recipe
    Reply
    • Lou

      February 29, 2016 at 6:26 pm

      Hi Danica, I'm so glad that you enjoyed them. Adding chai spice is a great idea, thanks for the tip!
      Reply
  5. Alina

    December 20, 2015 at 8:31 pm

    Just made these, so good! I subbed half the molasses for applesauce to make it a bit lighter, and they turned out awesome (almost fluffy!)
    Reply
    • Lou

      December 22, 2015 at 7:28 am

      So glad you liked them Alina and sounds like the applesauce worked out well! Thanks for letting me know :)
      Reply
  6. Priya

    December 14, 2015 at 11:10 am

    I love the baking recipes with whole wheat flour.... I am gonna try this
    Reply
    • Lou

      December 16, 2015 at 1:00 am

      Thank you Priya, let me know how it goes :)
      Reply
  7. Krantz

    December 13, 2015 at 6:40 pm

    Loved this easy recipe - so festive too. Your website is so full of creative recipes. Thanks Lou.
    Reply
    • Lou

      December 16, 2015 at 12:59 am

      Thanks Krantz!
      Reply
  8. Mila

    December 11, 2015 at 10:37 am

    Hi, I just want to confirm with you, does it say 2/2 cup all purpose flour? Would it be then 1 cup or...? Thanks! They look yummy, and will be making them soon!
    Reply
    • Lou

      December 11, 2015 at 12:08 pm

      Hi Mila, it should be 2/3 cup of all purpose flour! Will try and make some changes to the font so it's easier to read. :) Hope you enjoy the muffins!
      Reply
  9. Cathy

    December 10, 2015 at 11:15 am

    Hi, Lou! I posted a comment a while ago, but I'm not sure if it actually posted! So sorry if this is a repeat. Should there be an egg in this recipe? I would normally add one to muffins. Also, in the text before the recipe you say the liquids in this recipe come from buttermilk and an egg. Please let me know! Cathy
    Reply
    • Lou

      December 10, 2015 at 7:28 pm

      Hi Cathy, Yes, there should be an egg in them my mistake! Sorry about that, have added it to the recipe now.
      Reply
  10. Cathy

    December 10, 2015 at 10:28 am

    Good morning! I really want to make these muffins right now, but I see there is no egg in the ingredient list, which makes me wonder if it has been omitted intentionally or by error. I'll wait to hear back from you! I hope you answer your emails. Thank you! Cathy
    Reply

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Hi, I'm Louisa Clements & welcome to Living Lou. I've been creating simple, fresh & flavorful recipes for the modern kitchen for 12 years.
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