Sourdough Gingerbread Coffee Cake Muffins

These sourdough gingerbread coffee cake muffins are soft, fluffy, and warmly spiced. Drizzled with maple glaze, they combine classic gingerbread and coffee cake with sourdough discard to create the best sourdough holiday treat you’ll make all season.

They’re simple yet impressive, and can be whipped up in under an hour. No long fermentation or chilling of the batter required. Bake up holiday magic in less than an hour!

Scroll down for the recipe card, followed by detailed step-by-step instructions (with photos).

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Looking for more sourdough holiday baking recipes? My popular sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia is ideal for a special Christmas morning breakfast. My classic sourdough discard coffee cake, popular sourdough coffee cake muffins, or easy sourdough discard banana bread add variety to any holiday brunch spread. And my fudgy sourdough chocolate cookies are the perfect addition to any holiday cookie platter.

Sourdough Gingerbread Coffee Cake Muffins Recipe

Sourdough Gingerbread Coffee Cake Muffins

Hello Honeycomb

These sourdough gingerbread coffee cake muffins are soft, fluffy, and warmly spiced. They combine classic gingerbread and spiced coffee cake into the perfect sourdough gingerbread muffins.

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Servings 24 muffins

Calories 390 kcal

Ingredients

  

Sourdough Gingerbread Muffin Batter

• ½ cup salted butter 1 stick, softened
• 1½ cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• ⅔ cup sourdough discard or active starter
• ¾ cup molasses do not use blackstrap molasses, use light or dark molasses
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 cups all purpose flour

Gingerbread Coffee Cake Filling + Topping

• 1½ cup brown sugar
• 5 Tablespoons flour
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 6 Tablespoons butter melted

Maple Glaze

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ Tablespoon milk

Instructions

 

Gingerbread Coffee Cake Filling + Topping

• Stir the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and ginger together in a bowl. Add the melted butter and mix to combine. Set aside.

Sourdough Gingerbread Muffin Batter

• Preheat your oven to 350℉ (175℃). Place muffin liners in muffin tins and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl cream together sugar and softened butter. Add vanilla extract, eggs, sourdough discard (or active starter), and molasses. Mix to combine. Add the milk and mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
• Add the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and baking powder. Mix to combine well. Add the flour and mix.
• Scoop a spoonful of batter into the bottom of the muffin liners. Use about half of the batter to fill the bottoms of the muffin liners. Set the other half aside.

  Use half of the spiced sugar mixture and sprinkle some into each muffin liner. Use the other half of the batter to top and then crumble the remaining spiced sugar on top of each muffin.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350℉ (175℃) until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Maple Glaze

• While the sourdough gingerbread coffee cake muffins are cooling, make the glaze by mixing up powdered sugar, maple syrup, and milk. Drizzle over cooled muffins and enjoy!

Notes

• Do not use blackstrap molasses for this recipe or your muffins will be bitter. Use light or dark molasses for baking. Grandma’s Original Unsulphered Molasses is a good brand to use.
• This recipe makes 24 large bakery-style gingerbread muffins. The tulip style paper baking cups are super important for keeping the muffins in the cup as they rise. 
• If you don’t have tulip style baking liners, you can use regular muffin liners (just make sure they won’t stick). This recipe can be stretched out to make 36 smaller muffins in regular liners. Just fill each muffin cup with some batter and add the topping. No need to layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes for smaller muffins or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• To make ahead mix and bake the muffins as directed the day before. But don’t add the glaze until before you’re going to serve them! This keeps it from soaking in and keeps the gingerbread muffins looking fresh.

I love this recipe because it’s so easy but so special. Something about gingerbread makes a dessert feel delightfully festive to me. An extra treat of a treat! Gingerbread feels as nostalgic as Christmas lights and running down the stairs on Christmas morning.

It’s one of my favorite flavors of the holiday season. So combining gingerbread with coffee cake and making a spin on my super popular coffee cake muffins was a must.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• It is quick and simple! These sourdough gingerbread coffee cake muffins can go from bowl to table in under an hour. There’s no bulk fermentation time and no chilling of the batter required. You can whip up a batch in no time!
• It takes sourdough gingerbread to the next level with bakery style muffins. They’re beautiful and impressive. They’re preportioned so they’re easy to gift or take to your next holiday gathering. Who doesn’t love an easy holiday sourdough recipe?
• They’re easy to make ahead of time. They take the stress out of holiday baking while still creating a special, nostalgic treat.

Important Ingredients

Sourdough gingerbread coffee cake muffins use mostly pantry staples. But take note for:

• Sourdough discard or active sourdough starter – Yes, you can use either one! Since you’re using sourdough discard or starter to enhance the flavor, you can use either one you have on hand. 
• Molasses – You must use light or dark molasses for this recipe. DO NOT USE blackstrap molasses or your muffins will taste bitter or burnt. I personally prefer the flavor of a lighter molasses. Grandma’s Original Unsulphured Molasses is a good option.
• Whole milk – Using whole milk creates a rich cake base for these muffins. You can also add some cream or half and half to milk to create a creamier 1 cup of milk if you don’t have whole milk on hand.
• Vanilla extract – Maybe I’m biased, but there is nothing like the flavor of homemade vanilla extract. I think it levels up any sweet treat recipe. Any kind of vanilla extract will do, but if you want to kick it up a notch, use homemade. I like this recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen.

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card above.

Note on Making Bakery Style Muffins

To achieve the large, bakery style look and bake with these sourdough muffins, you will need bakery style baking cups (also called tulip cupcake liners). These large paper baking cups aren’t just pretty, they keep the batter in during baking as the muffins rise. Which is SUPER important for tall, bakery style sourdough muffins!

How to Make Sourdough Gingerbread Coffee Cake Muffins

Preheat your oven to 350℉ (175℃). Place muffin liners in muffin tins and set aside.

Step 1: Stir the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and ginger together in a bowl. Add the melted butter and mix to combine. Set aside.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl cream together sugar and softened butter. Add vanilla extract, eggs, sourdough discard (or active starter), and molasses. Mix to combine. Add the milk and mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.

Step 3: Add the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and baking powder. Mix to combine well. Add the flour and mix.

Step 4: Scoop a spoonful of batter into the bottom of the muffin liners. Use about half of the batter to fill the bottoms of the muffin liners. Set the other half aside. 

Use half of the spiced sugar mixture and sprinkle some into each muffin liner. Use the other half of the batter to top and then crumble the remaining spiced sugar on top of each muffin. You want nice, even layering of the batter and topping.

Step 5: Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350℉ (175℃) until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Seeing doneness with gingerbread can be tricky. Since the batter is naturally darker it may be tricky to judge based on color so relying on a toothpick to test the center is helpful.

Step 6: While the sourdough gingerbread coffee cake muffins are cooling, make the glaze by mixing up powdered sugar, maple syrup, and milk. Drizzle over cooled muffins and enjoy!

How to Make Ahead

Making treats or dishes ahead of time can save a lot of stress during the busy holiday seasons. To make these sourdough gingerbread muffins ahead of time, simply follow the recipe for the muffins are filling. Bake according to the instructions.

And then do not add the glaze right away. Store the muffins in an airtight container up to 1 full day before you’re going to serve them. Then before serving or transporting the muffins, mix up the glaze and drizzle it over them. Allow the glaze to cool and harden before placing in a bakery box for gifting or platter for serving.

How to Serve

Sourdough gingerbread coffee cake muffins are served best with a cup of coffee or warm cup of tea. A cozy treat needs a cozy drink, right? A glass of milk is also delicious and one of my favorite husband’s favorite ways to enjoy these muffins as an after-dinner snack.

How to Store

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Frequently Asked Questions