Craig's Recipes

Pumpkin-Molasses Muffins with Ginger-Honey Butter

I usually make these muffins in the fall, around Thanksgiving. They taste good with plain butter or margarine, but I think that the Ginger-Honey butter really makes them great, don't skip it. 

You can bake the muffins ahead, cool and freeze. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature. Before serving, reheat in 350 degree oven 5 to 10 minutes.

Muffin Ingredients

½ cup butter at room temperature

¾ cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 - 15oz can solid-pack canned pumpkin

¼ cup light molasses

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup finely chopped pecans

Ginger-Honey Butter Ingredients

6 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Making the Ginger-Honey butter

Mix 6 Tablespoons room-temperature butter with 2 Tablespoons honey and 1 teaspoon ground ginger until thoroughly blended. I usually do this in a small bowl using a table fork to mix.

Preparing the muffins

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Grease sixteen 2½ inch muffin cups, or use paper cup liners

In food processor or in medium-sized bowl with electric mixer, process or beat butter and sugar until well blended.

Add egg, pumpkin and molasses; process or beat until thoroughly blended (mixture will look curdled).

Add flour, baking soda, ginger and salt. Process or beat just until blended.

Gently fold in pecans.

Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each only half full.

Bake 15 minutes until tops are puffed and spring back when lightly pressed.

Serve warm with Ginger-Honey butter.