These Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Muffins are a delicious treat to make with your Christmas morning breakfast! Not only are they whole wheat, but dairy free as well!

On Monday we started off the holiday baking season with one of my favorite flavor combinations, cranberry and orange. Today we’re continuing with the baking and using another favorite holiday flavor, gingerbread! I think people are divided on whether or not they like gingerbread. When I was a kid it wasn’t a flavor I was very fond of, but now I’m finding that I love it’s rich molasses, ginger, cinnamon spiced flavor. All those warm spices and flavors are perfect in these Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Normally when I make muffins I tend to use buttermilk because I love the moisture it adds to the muffins. This time however I decided to make my muffins dairy free. To make these holiday flavored muffins dairy free was actually quite simple. I simply subbed dairy milk for Almond Breeze Almondmilk Cashewmilk. I loved the rich nutty flavor this blend had and an added bonus was that the unsweetened version that I used only had 25 calories per serving.

Along with using the Almond Breeze Almondmilk Cashewmilk I also subbed the Greek yogurt that I usually add to baked good with unsweetened applesauce and replaced regular chocolate chips with dairy free ones. Now I don’t know about you guys, but I love a muffin with a good top on it!

Yes, I am a muffin top girl. I am 100% that person who would prefer to just eat the muffin tops and leave the stump behind. Please tell me you’ve seen that Seinfeld episode? I was so pleased with how the muffin tops on these gingerbread chocolate chip muffins turned out!

The muffins rose beautifully in the oven and had that perfect domed top that you hope for. The tops had a lovely crust on top of them along with a little crunch thanks to the turbinado sugar I sprinkled on before baking. I also sprinkled a few more of the mini chocolate chips on top because 1) it looks pretty and 2) are you really going to say no to more chocolate chips in your muffin?

The gingerbread flavor isn’t overpowering, but it’s still very recognizable. I also added orange zest to the muffin batter which you absolutely must do! If you’ve never paired gingerbread and orange together you’re in for a treat. The two flavors combined with the chocolate chips are magical! As you consider what to make for your Christmas morning breakfast definitely put these gingerbread chocolate chip muffins at the top of your list!

Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yield: Approximately 14 muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or all purpose flour)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 3/4 cup Almond Breeze Almondmilk Cashewmilk Blend
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons oil (coconut or vegetable)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, dairy-free if needed
• Turbinado sugar and more chocolate chips for sprinkling on top of the muffins (optional but recommended)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with liners (I prefer parchment paper liners to ensure the muffin doesn't stick).
2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices and orange zest.
3. In a smaller bowl whisk together the wet ingredients.
4. Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry and fold together with a rubber spatula just until combined, don't overmix.
5. Fold in the mini chocolate chips just until incorporated.
6. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 of the way full with the batter.
7. Top each muffin with approximately 1/4 teaspoon of turbinado sugar and a few more chocolate chips.
8. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Cool the muffins on a cooling rack for several minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 14 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 223 Total Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 4g Cholesterol: 16mg Sodium: 251mg Carbohydrates: 39g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 20g Protein: 4g

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