Favourite Fresh Ginger Muffins
Submitted by venuswt
Fresh ginger muffins: bakery-style buttermilk muffins packed with finely chopped fresh ginger candied with sugar, plus fragrant lemon zest. The classic Marion Cunningham recipe, with serious ginger bite.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
35 minCOOK
20 minREADY
55 minThese are the cult-favorite muffins made famous by Marion Cunningham at Bridge Creek in Berkeley, and they’re nothing like the usual ginger muffin from a coffee shop case. Fresh ginger, unpeeled and chopped fine, gets cooked briefly with sugar so it candies into a soft, fragrant paste before going into the batter. The result is a muffin that practically vibrates with ginger heat, balanced by the citrus brightness of fresh lemon zest.
The ginger-sugar cooking step is essential. Raw ginger in a muffin would be too sharp and woody, but two minutes in the pan with sugar transforms it into something tender and intensely fragrant that bakes seamlessly into the crumb.
Don’t skip the white pith on the lemon zest. It carries bitterness that balances the sweetness, and pulses into invisible bits during baking.
Pro Tips
- Use young, smooth-skinned ginger if you can find it. Old, fibrous ginger gives stringy bits.
- Cook the ginger-sugar mixture only until the sugar melts and looks syrupy. Past that, it caramelizes into hard candy.
- Don’t overmix the batter once flour is added. A few streaks are fine.
- Serve warm. These are at their best within 30 minutes of leaving the oven.
Variations
- Add 2 tablespoons of crystallized ginger chopped into the batter for extra bite.
- Stir in ½ cup blueberries or chopped peaches for a fruit-and-ginger version.
- Drizzle cooled muffins with a simple powdered sugar and lemon juice glaze for a bakery finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃). Grease the muffin tins.
Cut the unpeeled ginger until it is in tiny pieces; or hand chop into fine pieces. (You should have ¼ cup; it is better to have too much ginger than too little.)
Put the ginger and ¼ cup sugar in a small skillet or pan and cook over medium heat until the sugar has melted and the mixture is hot. Don’t walk away from the pan--this cooking takes only a couple of minutes. Remove from the stove and let the ginger mixture cool.
Put the lemon zest and 3 tablespoons sugar in the food processor and process until the lemon peel is in small bits; or chop the lemon zest and pith by hand and then add the sugar. Add the lemon mixture to the ginger mixture. Stir and set aside.
Put the butter in a mixing bowl and beat a second or two, add the remaining ½ cup sugar, and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the buttermilk and mix until blended. Add the flour, salt and baking soda. Beat until smooth. Add the ginger-lemon mixture and mix well.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tins so that each cup is ¾ full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.
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