These gingerbread cookies with cream cheese frosting are a spin on a classic Christmas flavor! They’re soft, fluffy, filled with gingerbread, and topped off with rich cinnamon cream cheese frosting! I guarantee these cookies will be a hit! You can also make them into whoopie pies by using two cookies and frosting the inside to make a cookie sandwich. I love them open-face because more frosting to cookie ratio. Hope you enjoy!
What you need for gingerbread cookies with cream cheese frosting + substitutions:
- Unsalted butter- You can use salted butter as well if that’s what you have! Just decrease the salt in the recipe to 1/2 tsp instead of 3/4 tsp. Also, room temperature butter is very important, it helps the cookies get the right consistency!
- Brown sugar- Brown sugar gives it that caramel note and adds the perfect sweetness as well as giving them that deep rich brown color. You can use light or dark. I used light!
- Egg- The egg helps bind a recipe and really helps give it taste and texture.
- Vanilla extract- No baked good recipe is complete without vanilla extract in my opinion!
- All-purpose flour– I typically bake with all-purpose flour. Almond and coconut flour do not have the same measurements so they will not work in this recipe. However, gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour should work just fine. Make sure to find one with xantham gum, I love Bob’s Red Mill, but any should do.
- Cinnamon, ginger, cloves- The spices really help to bring out the gingerbread flavor and warmth.
- Sea salt- Salt is key in a baked good, because it really helps to bring out the flavor!
- Baking powder- Helps to inflate the cookies!
- Baking soda- Helps to produce a light and fluffy and perfectly cooked cookie.
- Buttermilk- This is what gives the cookies the soft pillowy texture. You can easily substitute 3/4 cup whole milk mixed with 1 tsp white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Mix the two ingredients in a bowl and set aside for about 5 minutes to let it curdle.
- Molasses- The key to all things gingerbread. I used the Grandma’s brand and they turned out perfect.
Tips for them:
- Make sure not to overbake the cookies- They bake pretty quickly and puff up fast! They have more of a dense cake consistency than a regular cookie so you want them to be puffy and soft but a little springy to touch in the middle.
- Let them cool completely before frosting- If the cookies are still warm the frosting will melt all over them and won’t turn out as pretty!
- Refrigerate the dough- I know this is always the worst, but it really makes a difference. It’s easier to scoop out the dough and also helps the flavor to develop in the cookie!
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Alright, let’s get to making the recipe! Enjoy friends!
Gingerbread Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
These gingerbread cookies with cream cheese frosting are a spin on a classic Christmas flavor! They're soft, fluffy, filled with gingerbread, and topped off with rich cinnamon cream cheese frosting! I guarantee these cookies will be a hit! You can also make them into whoopie pies like the picture at the bottom. I love them open-face because more frosting to cookie ratio. Hope you enjoy!
Servings 16
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour spoon & leveled
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup buttermilk or whole milk mixed with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup molasses (I used the Grandma's brand)
For the Frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. If you're using the milk and vinegar mixture, go ahead and mix the milk and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar together until well combined. Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Then add in all the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, & sea salt. Mix until mostly combined. The dough will be a bit crumbly.
- Next, add in half the milk mixture and about half of the molasses. Mix until incorporated. Add in the rest of the milk and the rest of the molasses. The dough will be super soft and sticky.
- From here, I find it easiest to refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes to make it easier to scoop out. It’s not required but certainly makes it easier.
- Drop the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I personally use a large cookie scoop or a spoon. They spread quite a bit while baking so make sure to space them out well.
- My dough made about 16 cookies, because I made them large but you could make 16-20! Bake for 10-12 minutes depending on size. Mine took about 10-11 minutes and they were baked at room temperature. If you end up refrigerating the dough for awhile you may need to increase the time by 2-3 minutes. Just keep an eye on them!
- Once done, cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl cream together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract.
- Add in the powdered sugar, cinnamon and sea salt and mix until well combined. Set aside.
To assemble Cookies:
- Once cookies are completely cooled, spread icing on top of the cookies. Sprinkle with sprinkles of your choice and enjoy!
Notes
For Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Best enjoyed thawed at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before eating.
For Freezing: Freeze cookies fully done and frosted in a freezer bag!