For the life of me I don’t know why I put off making these ginger muffins! They are delicious, have a great texture and are relatively easy to make. Oh! I used 1 1/16” inch diameter cupcake papers so they are bite sized.

One of the best things about making these is you don’t have to peel the fresh ginger. Just cut off the required amount and grind it up in a food processor.

The unfrosted muffins have a nice heat from the ginger while the frosted ones have a nice balance of cool sweet and heat.

Fresh Ginger Muffins

INGREDIENTS
Muffins
• 2-oz (58g) piece unpeeled ginger root
• ¾ c plus 3 tbl sugar
• 2 tbl lemon zest with some pith
• ½ c (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
Frosting
• 8 oz (224g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• ½ c. (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 c. (360g) confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup (30g) if needed
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp salt

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease 16 muffin pans. I used small cupcake papers to make mini muffins.
3. Process the ginger in a food processor until it is in tiny pieces. You should have about 1/4 cup. It is better too much ginger than too little.
4. Put the ginger and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a small skillet and cook over medium heat until the sugar has melted and the mixture is hot. Do not walk away from the pan – the sugar will melt quite quickly. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool completely.
5. Put the lemon zest and 3 tablespoons sugar in the food processor and process until the peel is in small bits. Or, sprinkle the sugar over the zest and chop by hand. Add the zest and sugar mix to the ginger mixture and set aside.
6. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter slightly, then add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the buttermilk and mix until blended. Add the flour, salt and baking soda and beat until smooth. Add the lemon-ginger mixture and mix well.
7. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups so that each cup is about 3/4 full. Bake 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.
8. In the bowl of a stand mixer use the paddle to beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy.
9. Add 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar.
10. Cover and store leftover frosting for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting for a few seconds so it’s creamy again.