Sinterklaas (or Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children) brings gifts to all good children on the eve before his name day, which is celebrated on the 6th of December. So on the 5th of December, late in the evening and during the night, he and his helpers will climb across the rooftops, to deliver presents all in secret, for children to find them early in the morning.

Exiting time

The weeks leading up to Sinterklaas are very exciting for all children. And for the parents and other family members, who will do everything they can, to keep this tradition very much alive and make sure the children believe in Sinterklaas for as long as possible. Wish lists are written, homes are decorated, songs will be sung and… loads of sweet treats will be eaten. There are many sweets, cookies, pies and more, that will typically be eaten this time of year, such as chocolate letters, speculaas (spiced crunchy cookie, kind of like ginger snaps) and Kruidnoten (spiced, bite-sized cookies).

Muffins

With Christmas also approaching, this time of year is not the most healthy one. That’s why we try to sneak in a few healthier recipes, like my healthier version of the traditional Kruidnoten. But it doesn’t always have to be healthy. As long as we try to balance the hell out of it (some days are better than others), we can have a not so healthy treat and enjoy it. Like these utterly delicious Sinterklaas muffins we made. Super fluffy and tasty with cinnamon and ginger. With all the sugar. Alright, lightened up a bit with Greek yogurt and vegetable oil. Balance, right…

Ingredients

2 eggs

125 g white sugar

125 g light brown sugar

120 ml vegetable oil

250 g Greek yogurt

250 g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

75 g mini spiced cookies or chopped up ginger cookies

Extra cookies for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a muffin tin or line with paper or silicone cups.

Beat the eggs with the sugars and oil until creamy.

Add the yogurt and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger.

Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and whisk until just combined.

Fold in the cookies.

Pour batter into prepared muffin tin/cups. I use an ice cream scoop for portioning.

Sprinkle a few cookies/pieces on top.

Bake ca. 25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cool and enjoy!