Go Back
–+ servings
Deliciously tender, impossibly springy butternut squash muffins suffused with fresh ginger, cardamom and cloves. 
Print Recipe
Chai-Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 

Deliciously tender, impossibly springy butternut squash muffins suffused with fresh ginger, cardamom and cloves. Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit. 

A note on sugar: I've given up on dealing with brown sugar. I just add molasses to regular sugar as needed. I've found it's much simpler than bothering with temperamental brown sugar. If you'd prefer to use it, though, just sub brown sugar for the sugar and molasses. I used cane sugar in this recipe and liked the crunch it lent to the top of the muffins. If you don't have any on hand, regular granulated sugar is fine. 

The spices here should be as fresh as possible. I bashed a few green cardamom pods with my mortar and pestle and then removed the black seeds from the papery green pods. In the same mortar, I ground the cloves and cardamom seeds together. You can also use a spice/coffee grinder to do the job.

Recipe Type: Dessert
Keyword: muffin
Makes: 12 muffins
Author: Elizabeth Stark
Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup whole milk yogurt
  • 2/3 cup cane or turbinado sugar plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling
  • 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
  • 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup dark rye flour (optional – sub with flour of your choice)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground cardamom seeds, from 1 heaping tablespoon cardamom pods
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 loosely packed cups grated, peeled butternut squash (about 8 ounces)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the butter, eggs, yogurt, sugar and molasses or brown sugar (see headnote), and ginger.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the flours baking powder and soda, sea salt, and spices. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, add the squash, and mix just until all the flour is combined. Spoon into the muffin tin, filling cups right to the top.
  4. Bake 28 - 33 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few crumbs attached.