Sweet apple chunks and spicy bits of candied ginger give these moist and tender Apple Ginger Muffins a unique flavor that you will love. The simple ginger-flavored glaze drizzled on each muffin adds a finishing touch.

Table of Contents

What are the best apples to use for these Apple Ginger Muffins?
What is Candied Ginger
Ingredients you Need to Bake Apple Ginger Muffins
Let’s Bake Apple Ginger Muffins
To Glaze or not to Glaze
More Easy Quick Bread Recipes
How to Store These Apple Ginger Muffins
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These Apple Ginger Muffins have just the right amount of apple sweetness plus a delicious, spicy bite of ginger. They are not overly sweet and perfect served with a savory breakfast or as a coffee break snack.

What are the best apples to use for these Apple Ginger Muffins?

Worldwide, there are over 7,000 varieties of apple to choose from and my advice is to select the one that meets your taste and budget requirements. It all depends on what you’re going to use the apple for. Here are a few option to help decide. I used the Braeburn apples for our muffins.

Granny Smith— is crunchy and tart and great for pies and baking.
Braeburn— This is an apple that is great for both sweet and savory applications. It hold its shape well when cooked.
Fuji—A firm-textured, sweet/tart all-purpose apple. It holds it shape well and does not mush up when used in cooking.
Gala— A beautiful apple that is crisp, sweet and mild flavored. Great for eating out-of-hand or in cooking/baking and for cider.

An apple on a apple-peeler with apple peels on the counter. — Whoever invented this apple gadget gets a gold star!

Fall is apple time and those crisp, sweet beauties are filling our markets as we speak. Take advantage of the new crop of apples and bake a batch of Apple Ginger Muffins for breakfast.

What is Candied Ginger:

This spicy treat is made from the ginger root. The raw root is peeled, thinly sliced and boiled to tenderize it. Next, the ginger slices are drained and cooked again in a sugar syrup until the sugar crystalizes on the ginger. The ginger is then allowed to air-dry.

Ginger root can be purchased in several forms, fresh, powdered, as an oil and a juice. We included candied ginger root and powdered ginger and grated fresh ginger in our Triple Ginger Cookies with Almonds. If you like a good ginger cookie, I promise, you will like these cookies.

Ingredients you Need to Bake Apple Ginger Muffins:

The ingredient list is pretty basic and you most likely have everything except maybe some apples and the crystalized ginger.

Ingredients used for apple ginger muffins.

Candied ginger
Apples
Flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Ground cinnamon
Ground ginger
Brown sugar
Melted butter
Oil
Eggs
Sour cream
Vanilla extract

Let’s Bake Apple Ginger Muffins:

Here’s the short “how to” version of the process. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the measurements and notes:

Process photos for making apple ginger muffins.

Dice the candied ginger slices and set aside. If you are fortunate enough to find the tiny bits of diced ginger, you are one step ahead.
Peel, core and dice the apples and set them aside. We used an apple peeler, corer and slicer to make fast and easy work out of this job!
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ground ginger together in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar, butter, oil, eggs, sour cream and vanilla together. You can use either an electric stand mixer, an electric hand mixer or a whisk, just be sure it is all well combined.
Tip the flour mixture, the apples and the diced ginger into the bowl of wet ingredients. Now you need to use a spatula or spoon to gently fold the mixture together. Mix well and only until blended. Do not use the electric mixer or whisk for this step.
Scoop the batter into the muffin cavities and transfer to the preheated 425°F oven. Set the timer for 5 minutes; then, without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake the muffins for an additional 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean when tested in the center of a muffin.
Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes; then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

To Glaze or not to Glaze:

The glaze is completely optional but the light ginger-flavored drizzle adds a nice finishing touch as well as a delicious taste.

Drizzling icing on apple ginger muffins.

Combine the confectioners’ sugar, ground ginger and cream. It will be a thick paste so zap it in the microwave for a few seconds and it becomes syrupy. Drizzle over the muffins with a fork.

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How to Store These Apple Ginger Muffins:

Since these muffins have fresh apples in them, they will stay moist a bit longer than a plain muffin. Keep them in an airtight container for the best freshness. They will keep for about 3 days at room temperature and 4 to 5 days in the fridge.

You can also freeze these muffins. To do that, keep them in a freezer-proof container for 3 to 4 months.

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Apple Ginger Muffins

Sweet apple chunks and spicy bits of candied ginger give these moist, tender muffins a unique flavor. The simple ginger-flavored glaze drizzled on each muffin adds a delicious finishing touch.

4.88 from 8 votes

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 40

Servings: Muffins

Calories: 422kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

2 ounces candied ginger slices
2 medium apples

Dry Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups 270 grams all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Wet Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar 150 grams
6 tablespoons butter melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. (you will reduce the temperature to 350°F after the muffins have baked for 5 minutes)
Coat a 12-cavity standard muffin with oil spray or line with cupcake papers.
Dice the candied ginger slices and set aside.
Peel, core and dice or chop the apples, add them to a bowl and set aside.

The Dry Ingredients:

Whisk together in a medium size bowl, the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ground ginger, set aside.

The Wet Ingredients:

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer or a whisk, beat together the brown sugar, butter, oil, eggs, sour cream and vanilla until well blended.
Add the dry ingredients, the reserved apples and diced ginger to the wet mixture. Using a rubber/silicon spatula gently fold the mixture together, scraping the bottom and sides. Mix only until the batter is combined, do not over-mix.

Bake the Muffins:

Fill the muffin cavities completely full, transfer to the oven and bake at the 425°F temperature for 5 minutes only; then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for an additional 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the muffins from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then gently remove them from the pan and place on a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before adding the glaze.

For the Glaze:

In a small microwaveable dish, stir the powdered sugar, ground ginger and the cream together. It will be a thick paste-like mixture. Transfer to the microwave and heat for 15 seconds or until the mixture has become a thick syrup.
Using a fork, drizzle the syrupy glaze over the tops of the muffins. Allow the glaze to set before serving.

Notes

Some grocery stores carry bulk foods with candied ginger in cubes, slices and dice.
Sour cream can be substituted for Greek yogurt, full-fat.
Fold the wet/dry ingredients until just mixed. Do not over-mix or they will not be tender.
The high bake temperature for the first five minutes gives the muffins a big burst of heat that helps the baking powder/soda react quickly and results in a taller, bakery-style muffin. Don’t forget to turn the oven down to 350°F after the 5 minutes.