Molasses!
Molasses is the thick, dark syrup which is a by-product of sugar-refining. It’s still used as a sweetener but contains all the good stuff that has been stripped away to get white sugar- trace amounts of vitamins and significant amounts of minerals. The darker the molasses the healthier it is. Apparently, just one tablespoon of Blackstrap Molasses provides up to 20% of our daily needs of calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron!
I keep meaning to buy a jar of the really dark stuff and take a spoonful a day for the health benefits. I happen to like the taste of it on its own too. It’s kind of difficult to describe…sort of sweet, spicy and a little bitter all at once.
It’s most commonly used in gingerbread recipes so I decided to make something gingerbread-esque. Muffins! Yes, I know I’ve already done muffins this Vegan MoFo but that was way back at “A”, these are completely different, and anyway, who can complain about muffins?!
I added dark chocolate chunks to these muffins as I love chocolate and ginger together. If you haven’t tried Green and Black’s Ginger Dark Chocolate, you should! For a double kick of ginger I also added some chopped crystallized ginger, but that’s optional, as I know some people just like the ginger flavour not pieces of the stuff.

- 1C Rye flour (or other wholegrain flour)
- 1/2t Baking soda/bicarbonate of soda
- 1/8t Salt
- 1/4t (heaping) Cinnamon
- 1/2t Ground ginger
- 2-3T Coconut sugar
- 1/4C + 1T Milk
- 2T Unsweetened apple purée OR non-dairy yogurt
- 2T Oil (I used Organic Sunflower Oil)
- 2T Molasses
- 25g/1oz Dark Chocolate, chopped into chunks
- 2T Chopped Crystallized ginger (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line a muffin tray with 6 paper cases.
- Stir together dry ingredients, flour through to coconut sugar, in a medium bowl.
- Whisk together wet ingredients in a measuring jug or small bowl. Add wet to dry and stir just to combine. Don’t over-mix.
- Fold through chocolate chunks and ginger and divide the mixture evenly between muffin cases.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes.
UK folk, in case you were wondering, treacle is the same thing…
Do you like ginger and chocolate together?
What else can I use molasses in?
Oh, I’ve just remembered a non gingerbread recipe that uses molasses- Boston Baked Beans! I like the recipe in The Vegan Table.
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Sounds lovely!
I totally take one teaspoon a day for my vitamins. I think it tastes like liquorice.
Yes! That’s exactly the flavour! And I love liquorice
Isn’t liquorice made from molasses actually…?
Oh my goodness, these look lovely! I love the big chunks of crystallized ginger. Neal would love this because he loves ginger. And I would love it because chocolate!!
Glad there are other chocolate and ginger lovers. My Mum hates ginger so now I’ve moved out I feel better about making gingery food as I don’t have to share!
I’ve just made a Whole Hazelnut and Molasses Oat Bars http://allotment2kitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/whole-hazelnut-and-molasses-oat-bars.html
Your so right we do just tend to use molasses in gingerbread style cakes, saying that but that is what we love. I am bookmarking your recipe, so liking the inclusion of ginger too,
Oh wow those look delicious. I’m totally making them! They look so wholesome with all the nuts and fruit.
I’m not so keen on molasses but the nutritional benefits are amazing! And it tastes great in gingerbread too.
Ginger, chocolate and molasses? Yum!! I’ve never thought of combining chocolate and ginger, but I think it would be perfect. The candied ginger would make the muffins (in my estimation). And as to who could complain about muffins? I can. I do have a muffin tin, but I hate to waste my snack calories on something that won’t hold me until the next meal (i.e., something that has little to no protein in it). These just might make me change my mind about that, though… Yum!!
We all need treats from time to time! When you’re eating mostly so healthily I’m sure a little muffin can’t hurt…
Point taken!
I looove chocolate and ginger! I just ate the last of my chocolate yesterday but I’m making a batch of these anyway. I tossed in a little cocoa powder, so we’ll see how they come out!
How did they turn out?! Bummer that you didn’t have any chocolate- My chocolate supplies running out would be a disaster!
They were fantastic!
Hurrah!
I haven’t tried chocolate and ginger together I don’t think….but I like both components so I’m sure that I would. And I love muffins too! Yours look delicious, I love the big chunks of choc
You NEED to try the combo! I decided choc chunks were better than little chocolate chips!
Wow Emma, these double ginger chocolate chunk muffins are mouth watering, melt-in-the-mouth magic!!!!! Look at these chopped crystallized ginger in the filling! GINGER + CHOCOLATE = YES! I like using molasses in cookies especially sweet teriyaki sauce.
Thank you
I definitely ate muffins for breakfast this morning! I know ginger can be a dividing ingredient- love it or hate it but I’m a lover! Yes, molasses in teriyaki! Dreena Burton has a tasty teriyaki stir-fry recipe that calls for molasses.
I love the combo of flavours you’ve used here. Like you, I’m not keen on sweet baked goods, so I think your recipe would suit my tastes perfectly. Do you think that these muffins would work with Blackstrap Molasses… or would the flavour be too strong?
I guess it depends how “spicy” you like your gingerbread but I would think they’d still be yummy with blackstrap especially as you’re not overly keen on super sweet baked goods.
It took me a while to figure out how I liked molasses, but with ginger and cinnamon they are so good! I’ll put that in my morning porridge just to mix it up. Ginger and chocolate are always great too
I should definitely try that for breakfast. Sounds lovely & autumnal.
These are the best vegan muffins I’ve made! Bar none. They are moist, flavorful, and healthy. I did use rye flour (milled my own), and thought the combo of rye, ginger, and chocolate was brilliant. Thanks for such an incredible recipe. Will be making these again!
You’ve made my day Mindy! I’m so happy when readers make and enjoy my recipes as much as me
Thanks for commenting and I hope you try some of my other recipes too.
Molasses is pretty much a staple in my diet, I love it so much. The chocolate and ginger combo in these sounds fantastic! I like to use molasses in bread, cookies or just smeared on some freshly baked bread, yum!
I swirled it into ginger-raisin-apple porridge this morning which was scrumptious!
I thought I had missed those rye flour muffins, but it turns out I just hadn’t had time to read that post yet. At the end of Sept., I had to put a hold on MoFo readings. Your muffins look very good and especially with Mindy’s comments, I need to try them. Next time I buy candied ginger, I know what I will make with it.
I’ve had quite a few people over on instagram make them and enjoy them too
MoFo reading was pretty overwhelming, I had to skip a lot of posts I wanted to read too.
I made them this week and I thought there were pretty good. I really liked the addition of ginger, but I should have added more sugar, like you suggested. They were not sweet enough for my taste, especially that they reminded me of the muffins I made with rye flour and coriander seeds.
Sorry they weren’t sweet enough for you. Thanks for making them all the same
These look amazing - I think ginger and chocolate were made for each other! One thing though, it says “1/2t Baking soda/bicarbonate of soda.” Does that mean a 1/2 teaspoon of each or of either one of the two? Thank you Emma
Another fan of ginger and choc together
So good isn’t it? I’m not sure where you’re based but in England we call “baking soda” bicarbonate of soda usually so the recipe calls for just 1/2t. Sorry for the lack of clarity! Hope you enjoy the muffins.
Ah, I misread it as “baking powder/bicarbonate of soda.” My mistake. As soon as I buy some more crystallized ginger I’m makin’ these muffins.
No worries. I’ll update the recipe to make it printer-friendly