Gingerbread Muffins (gluten-free, whole grain, low sugar, with Maple Vanilla Glaze)

Soft, moist whole grain muffins filled with the delicious, classic spiced flavors of Gingerbread. These Gingerbread Muffins are gluten-free, low in sugar, and made complete with a Maple Vanilla Glaze on top. These muffins are the perfect healthy, easy breakfast recipe for during the Holiday season!

Do you decorate Gingerbread Cookies with your family every year?

Growing up, my family always did. But for my family it turned into a competition. Who could decorate the most cookies? Who ate the most cookies?

My brother or Dad always ate the most cookies. My sister kept quietly to herself, and our dogs begged endlessly for cookies, just hoping a crunchy sprinkle would land on the floor that they could scarf up…

Who decorated the most cookies? It was definitely me. 😉

Every year my Dad would slop an insane amount of icing on top of each cookie, sprinkle a few sprinkles on top, and call it “done,” declaring himself the winner each year.

In my stubborn, first-born daughter ways, I took it upon myself to make as many pretty cookies as I could, and win the competition.

The entire cookie decorating competition could quickly get wildly out-of-hand.

Cookies would be stolen, eaten, hidden… you name it, and all the techniques were employed till a winner was crowned.

Over the last couple years, things have changed a bit. Now, I have to keep my eyes out on two little kids who are decorating cookies and becoming a total mess. Still entertaining? You bet. You can’t really beat the cute faces of kiddos with frosting all over them. 🙂 

With no cookie decorating mess, but all the Gingerbread flavor, these healthy Gingerbread Muffins are my go-to breakfast during the Holiday season. Gluten-free, whole grain, low in sugar and dairy-free, these moist muffins are a great breakfast for everyone.

Filled with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, applesauce, a little brown sugar, and molasses, these Gingerbread Muffins are PACKED with flavor.

Here’s what you need to know to make sure these Gingerbread Muffins turn out just right 🙂

First, use finely ground oat flour. If you try and blend up your own oats into oat flour be sure they are very fine or you will end up with crumbly muffins. For the sake of ease and to ensure your baked goods turn out and aren’t a crumbly mess, I recommend buying oat flour for muffins. Unless you have a high powered blender and can get your oats blended up as fine as the oat flour you can buy in a store.

What about the brown sugar? Could you substitute for maple syrup or honey? I wouldn’t recommend it. Coconut sugar can work in it’s place but I would leave it at that. A majority of the sugar in this recipe has already been replaced with applesauce, so these muffins still need that 1/4 cup of sugar or they won’t be very sweet at all. Just a little goes a long way!

Could I use Gingerbread Spice seasoning in place of the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and allspice? Yes, alternatively you can use 2 1/2 or 3 tsp of gingerbread spice. I prefer to make my own by blending cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and allspice together, but it may be easier for you to use gingerbread spice if you don’t have all of the other spices and don’t need them.

Last but not least, don’t forget the pretty glaze on top! It’s very simple to make and adds the extra Holiday pizzazz to these muffins 🙂

Check out the inside of these fluffy, moist, and healthy Gingerbread Muffins! Yum. I can taste all the spices by just looking at these! And with coffee?? These muffins are incredible.

I hope you give gingerbread a shot in your house for breakfast this Holiday season! After all, gingerbread doesn’t always have to be messy cookie decorating, it can be a healthy breakfast too 🙂

Looking for more easy, healthy Holiday breakfast recipes? Check out my gluten-free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies, Gingerbread Breakfast Cookies and Mint Chocolate Waffles.

5 from 1 vote

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Gingerbread Muffins (gluten-free, whole grain, low sugar, with Maple Vanilla Glaze)

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

18 mins

Total Time

28 mins

 

Servings: 10 muffins

Calories: 226 kcal

Ingredients

Gingerbread Muffins

• 1 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp oat flour, certified gluten-free
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 3 tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs

Maple Vanilla Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1-2 tbsp almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Dash of cinnamon

Instructions

Gingerbread Muffins:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a muffin tin with no-stick spray.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients: oat flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice. Stir together till well combined.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your brown sugar, applesauce and coconut oil. Add in your almond milk, molasses, vanilla and eggs, and whisk again till all is well combined. 

4. Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients, and stir until everything is well incorporated. 

5. Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 way full and bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes, or till the tops of the muffins are springy to touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Maple Vanilla Glaze (optional):

1. In a small bowl, add your powdered sugar, maple syrup, milk, vanilla and dash of cinnamon. Whisk till all is well combined. If your glaze is too thick, add more milk till it is the consistency you would like.

2. After your muffins have cooled, you can either turn them over and dip the tops into the glaze, or you can drizzle the glaze across the tops of the muffins. 

3. Devour!

Recipe Notes

These muffins will last a few days stored at room temperature, and about a week stored in the fridge.