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Soft Gingerbread Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing. A cross between a really great soft, chewy gingerbread cookie and a delicious steaming gingerbread latte made with real espresso. These cookies are made with sweet dark brown sugar, molasses, ginger, and the real secret – espresso powder. They’re generously glazed with a sweet, thick, and creamy brown butter icing that melts in your mouth. You can make them as drop cookies or as Christmas cutouts, there’s really nothing not to love! They’re the perfect holiday cookie to bake, share, and gift this holiday season!
Ingredients
- Salted butter
- Light or dark brown sugar
- Espresso powder or instant coffee powder
- Vanilla extract
- Large egg
- Blackstrap molasses
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Ground ginger
- Ground cinnamon
- Kosher salt
- Granulated sugar
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla bean powder
What you will need in the kitchen:
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- spatula
- Small bowl
- Tablespoons
- Prepared baking sheets
- Christmas cookie cut outs
- Airtight container
- wire rack
- electric mixer
More cookies!! When I say I have been baking cookies non-stop, I mean it. These took me days. They’re the simplest cookie, but it took a long time to figure out how to get them from just ok to the amazing Christmas cookie I envisioned in my head.
The amount of gingerbread cookies I’ve baked in a week’s time is unreal, but look at these!! Oh, they are so, so yummy! And now I can look at them and truly say I really love these.
These are soft and chewy gingerbread. I did both drop cookies and cutouts, but I think I love the drop style more. Either way, they’re my favorite gingery cookie!
When I set out to make these, I really wanted to achieve a gingerbread that was chewy all around, soft, and not like other gingerbread cookies.
For some reason, the sound of a gingerbread latte cookie really excited me. I thought back to the gingerbread latte I created long ago, and then the mocha-cinnamon rolls I made last year. I love the added depth of flavor the espresso adds, so I knew these cookies needed three things. Lots of ginger, some espresso mixed in, and then, they also needed to be chewy.
Here are details
Step One
Let’s start by preheating the oven to 350 and lining two baking sheets with parchment paper! Easy! Next, In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter with dark brown sugar and a high-quality espresso or instant coffee powder to create a butter mixture. Then add egg and molasses. Next, add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. That’s the dough. It’s perfectly spiced and the espresso only helps to highlight the warming spices.
Step Two
Roll the dough into walnut-size balls. You can use a tablespoon measure for the correct size. This is a sticky dough, but if you’re having trouble, add a couple of tablespoons of additional flour.
Step Three
Then just bake. That’s literally it if you’re making drop cookies. Which are probably my preferred cookie, but only because they’re chewier than the cutouts.
If you want to make the cutouts, add some additional four flour to the dough. Then the key is to roll the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper.
Just as I do with my sugar cookies, I always like to roll out the dough, cut the cookies, and then freeze the cut cookies on a baking sheet for a few minutes. This ensures that the cookies hold their shape. To cut my cookies, I used Christmas tree cutters. But you can use any shapes you have on hand, or that your family loves the most.
On to the icing
This icing is everything. Just a handful of ingredients, but I love the nutty brown butter flavor and creaminess. It’s what makes these cookies really melt in your mouth.
The ingredients: butter, sugar, vanilla, a pinch of cinnamon, and salt.
The key is to brown the salted or unsalted butter (your choice) on the stove in a small or medium saucepan. Add the butter to a pot set over medium heat to brown the butter. Allow the brown butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes. Once cooled, add everything to the brown butter and thin it out with some milk. This includes whisking in the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, a pinch of cinnamon, and salt. Ice each cookie quickly, the frosting does set up pretty quickly.
This combo of ginger, espresso, and brown butter is unexpected, but I’m finding that everyone LOVES it. You won’t even detect the espresso, it just compliments the ginger and cinnamon so wonderfully. The result is a perfectly chewy, gingery, molasses cookie with rich notes of espresso, vanilla, and ginger.
We couldn’t love these easy gingerbread cookies more. And the frosting really makes them special. Hope you guys love these just as much as I do!
Looking for Christmas cookie recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Chewy Frosted Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodles
Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
Easy Vanilla Bean Christmas Lights Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Soft Gingerbread Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Soft Gingerbread Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
Servings: 22 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 250 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons espresso powder or instant coffee powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup blackstrap molasses
- 2 1/4 cups, plus 1-2 tablespoons, as needed all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- granulated sugar, for rolling
Brown Butter Icing
- 1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 -2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoos milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
- 1 pinch cinnamon
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, espresso, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg, mixing to combine. Then, add the molasses and mix to combine. Add the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt, beating until combined. 3. Place the sugar in a small bowl. 3. For drop cookies: Roll the dough into tablespoon-size balls (if the dough is too sticky, add 2-4 additional tablespoons flour), then roll through the sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are just starting to set around the edges, the centers should be a little doughy. Let cool on the pan. 4. For cutouts: Divide the dough in half. Roll out the dough on a floured piece of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Make sure you're using enough flour or your dough will stick. Cut out the cookies into desired shapes. Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet. I recommend using a floured spatula to lift the cookies. Cover the baking sheet and place in the freezer until firm, 15 minutes. Roll out the leftover scraps, and repeat with the remaining dough. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just set.5. Meanwhile, make the icing. Add the butter to a pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let cool 5 minutes. Whisk in the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, a pinch of cinnamon, and salt. Immediately spread the icing over the cookies, it will set quickly. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
This post was originally published on December 6, 2022
I had instant coffee, and I used 4T, per the recipe. This is a delicious blend of coffee and gingerbread. Question: how much salt should be in the icing? Salt is included in the instructions but not the ingredient list for the icing. I used a pinch.
Thanks so much, Nancy!! Love to hear you enjoyed these cookies:) I also just use a pinch of salt for the icing. Thanks for asking!
I’ve been looking at this recipe for a while and today is the day I finally made them with some friends. They were a hit! The only change was we had to use coconut cream in the frosting because I forgot to bring milk. It didn’t change the flavor but added a bit of creaminess. Delicious!
Hey Mary,
Yay! Love to hear these cookies were a hit, thanks for making them and your feedback!
Merry Christmas!🎄🎁
Absolutely incredible. Maybe the best cookie I’ve ever had. No notes other than I don’t know how to make the icing look good but who cares. 10/10. I don’t just recommend, I insist you try these!
Hey Keisha,
Yay! Thanks so much for giving these cookies a try, so glad you enjoyed them!
Merry Christmas!🎄🎁
Can this dough be chilled? If I chill it, can I bake the cookies right out of the refrigerator or do I need them to get to room temp?
Hey Darnelle,
Yes, you can chill the dough and bake from the fridge. I hope you love these cookies!
Happy Holidays!
These are amazing. So soft and chewy! Everyone is hyping the icing, and it’s phenomenal but the gingerbread is elite. I tried three grocery stores and couldn’t find vanilla bean powder but vanilla extract was perfectly fine!
Hey Olivia,
Thanks for the thoughtful feedback after trying this recipe, I’m happy to hear it was a win!
Happy Holidays!🎄🎁
I made the drop cookies and they were so good. They were chewy and soft. I wasn’t able to drizzle the icing on so they were not as beautiful as the ones pictures, just frosted them instead.
Hey Janin,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it turned out nicely for you!
Have a great holiday!🎄🎁
I’ve made this ever since finding the recipe several years ago. Everyone LOVES them. I make the cookies exactly as directed. There are two things that stand out as odd to me. 1.) my cookies don’t flatten out from the ball shape unless I flatten them before baking, Otherwise they stay dome shaped. 2.) there’s no way I get a smooth glaze frosting unless I add a bit of milk. Once I do that, it is creamy and I can make it thin enough for drizzle. Anyone else have that issue? I still give this recipe five stars, it’s great grown up cookie, ANYtime.
Thanks so much, Angela!! I appreciate you making these cookies so often, I am so glad they are always enjoyed!
Thanks for sharing what works best for you! Happy Holidays!
Tieghan,
I made these yesterday and iced them today. Oh my WORD! They are so good! I did 3T instant espresso and accidentally did closer to 1/2 molasses, but the icing mellowed it out perfectly. The icing tastes like a Werther’s or butterscotch disc. To die for! Thank you so much! This is going in my cookie boxes along with SEVERAL of your other recipes ♡
Hey Miranda,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it turned out nicely for you!
Have a great holiday!🎄🎁
Can’t wait to try! Quick question- are you sprinkling sugar or salt on top?!
Thanks so much, Julie!! I’ve actually done both, so whatever your preference is! I hope you love these cookies!
These sound great! Can you use unsulphured molasses instead of blackstrap?
Hi Molly,
Yes, that will be okay for you to use! I hope you love these cookies!
Happy Holidays!
My husband doesn’t like coffee, but this was the absolute best gingerbread cookie he’s had! I am so excited to hand these out to family for Christmas 🙂
Hey Trinity,
Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and your comment!
Happy Holidays!🎄
I always bring Christmas cookies for Christmas dinner . This is the one cookie that is gone before you know it. I know Tieghan says not to freeze with the icing on it but I do it every year and I have had no problems. Just make sure the icing is set before you freeze and use parchment paper in between layers.
Great Recipe!
Thanks so much, Sally:) So glad to hear these cookies are always enjoyed and I appreciate your notes! Merry Christmas!
So good! I made some thick and some thinner cookies. Both were amazing. That brown butter for the icing is so good tho I did leave some plain and they were also really good on their own.
Hey Sarah,
Happy Friday!! I’m so glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and your comment!
Have a wonderful holiday season!🎄