Lemon Ginger Muffins

Light and fluffly lemon ginger muffins, with fresh ginger and lemon zest, and a lemon juice sugar glaze.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated October 20, 2022
Elise Bauer
Lemon Ginger Muffins
Elise Bauer

I've been experimenting lately with lemon ginger muffins, looking for just the right recipe.

Unfortunately, with all the heat we've been having around here lately, my experiments took a hiatus for a couple of weeks. Who wants to turn on the oven when the AC is struggling to keep the house below 80°F?

In California we've finally had a break in the hot weather (my apologies to those of you on the East Coast who are getting it now) and I got up early this morning to bake these muffins.

So good! The yogurt in the batter helps create an especially light and fluffy muffin.

Lemon Ginger Muffins
Elise Bauer

Lemon Ginger Muffins

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup 1/2-inch cubes of peeled, fresh ginger
  • 1 large lemon
  • 1 cup sugar -divided into 1/4 cup and 3/4 cup
  • 10 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • Glaze
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

Special Equipment

  • Food processor

Method

  1. Preheat oven:

    Adjust the oven rack to the middle-lower part of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F.

  2. Combine the dry ingredients:

    Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

  3. Make paste with lemon zest, ginger, sugar:

    Using a vegetable peeler, peel off the lemon zest from one large lemon (avoid the white pith). Coarsely chop the zest. You should have approximately 1/4 cup of chopped lemon zest.

    Add this zest, the cubed fresh ginger, and 1/4 cup of sugar to a food processor. Pulse until a paste forms.

  4. Beat butter with sugar, add eggs, then zest ginger paste:

    In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and remaining 3/4 cup of sugar together, beating until fluffy.

    Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one.

    Beat in the lemon zest and ginger paste.

  5. Alternate adding dry ingredients with yogurt:

    Beat in one half of the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Beat in one third of the yogurt. Beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients. Beat in a second third of the yogurt.

    Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the remaining yogurt. Again be careful to beat until just incorporated. Do not over beat.

  6. Fill muffin tin with dough:

    Use a standard 12-muffin muffin pan. Coat each muffin cup lightly with olive oil or a little melted butter using a pastry brush. Distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups.

    lemon-ginger-muffins-method-1
    Elise Bauer
  7. Bake:

    Bake at 375°F until muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a long toothpick (we use a thin bamboo skewer) to make sure the center of the muffins are done. Set on wire rack to cool.

    lemon-ginger-muffins-method-2
    Elise Bauer
  8. Make glaze:

    While the muffins are cooling, in a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice for the glaze. Add more lemon juice if necessary.

  9. Brush muffins with glaze:

    While the muffins are still a bit warm, use a pastry brush to brush the glaze over each muffin. The muffins will absorb some of the glaze, so you add more glaze to each muffin if you like.

    lemon-ginger-muffins-method-3
    Elise Bauer