Gingerbread Muffins with Lemon Glaze

When does a cupcake become a muffin?  As long as you're reading my blog, let's play by my rules.  Are you eating it for breakfast?  Then it's a muffin.  Glazed not frosted?  Definitely a muffin. Are there spices in it like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves?  Muffin, muffin, muffin, and muffin.  
There, that was easy.

Gingerbread Muffins

oven to 350

2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour

1 tsp (5 grams) baking soda

1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (120 ml) molasses

1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

For the Lemon Glaze

Mix 2 cups confectioner's sugar with enough fresh lemon juice to make a thick but pourable glaze.

• Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a small bowl and set aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar till fluffy.
• Add in the eggs one at a time, beating in between.
• Beat in the molasses.
• Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Don't over beat. 
• Spoon the batter into 12 muffin cups, lightly greased or lined with muffin papers.
• Bake for about 20-25 minutes until a straw comes out clean.
• Cool for a few minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a rack.
• Cool completely and then glaze with the lemon glaze.

Gingerbread recipe adapted from Joy of Baking

My goal for today is to wrap gifts and take inventory of what I've got and what I still need, so I can finish shopping for out of towners Monday and get boxes out Tuesday.  I've already noticed the beleaguered PO is moving slower this year.
Both girls will be coming home between the 18th and 20th. I also need to clean the house, groom the dogs, find a living tree and decorate.  Glad I've got these cupcakes muffins.
Happy Sunday!