Snap to it Ginge!

Gingers get a bad press. Mercilessly teased for their flaming tresses or expected to unleash fury at every opportunity, they have been subjected to negativity for eons!

I’m not sure she helped their cause either…

But like Hermione, I love a good ginger and that goes for the real ‘ginger spice’ too. In both savoury and sweet dishes, I adore its warming, tangy flavour, that is full of health benefits – I have often nibbled on stem ginger to calm a queasy stomach or prevent hunger pangs.

However, the smell (and taste) of ginger sweet treats is synonymous with Christmas for me – you can’t have Christmas without a ginger bread house! So whilst my culinary skills may not extend to creating Kings Landing or this full-sized Hansel and Gretel style house in San Francisco, I do have some delicious ginger imbued muffins for this week’s Monday Munchies.

A wholesome, hearty muffin, perfect for a breakfast snack and with an extra kick of coffee icing to perk you up in the morning. That’s not all – Chunks of chocolate or raisins also add to the taste sensation in this muffin must-have! It keeps well for up to a week in an airtight tin and is just as scrummy with a mid-afternoon coffee.

So get ready to ‘Uptown Funk’ up your taste buds and make them dance like Ginger. And Fred, Judy, Frank and the rest! Time to show this fiery spice some love!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
(Muffins)

• 150g softened butter.
• 1 tbsp honey or golden syrup.
• 150g self-raising flour.
• 150g dark brown sugar.
• 50g raisins or choc chips (optional)
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten.
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger.
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon.
• 1 tbsp milk.

(Coffee Icing)

• 150g butter or margarine.
• 300g icing sugar.
• 2 Tbsp instant coffee.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract.

METHOD:
Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 4 and line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases.

Gently melt butter and syrup / honey, mixing together. Allow to cool (10 mins) then add eggs and milk, whisking until creamy.

Sift all dry ingredients together then gradually add syrup mix until all combined. Divide equally between the muffin cases.

Bake for 25 mins in center of oven or until a skewer comes out clean. To make icing, sift sugar and cream together with butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and cooled coffee, mixing well.

Once muffins have cooled, make a small ‘well’ in each with skewer and pipe in coffee icing, finishing with a pattern of your choice on the top.

Enjoy! 🙂

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Image Credits: My own plus Youtube, sheknows.com, Wikipedia.

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