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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
These feel like they’re copying the New York Times gingerbread latte cookies that were published 5 days before your recipe :-/ it’s fine to get inspo from others but you should give them credit too!
Yes, just grab the bottle straight from the fridge–I’m sure that’s what went wrong there! Thanks for the response and suggestion 🙂
So sorry about that Adriana!! Let me know if you give these another try:)
These cookies baked well! I kept mine in for 12 minutes and they had a good chewy texture, but they do harden more once you take them out, so had to be careful of that.
I think the flavor is a bit too heavy. I would have liked for more ginger to come through, they taste like a plain molasses cookie to be quite honest.
The icing is a bit heavy as well, so I opted for a milk + powdered sugar + pinch of espresso powder and cinnamon instead. Overall, they are good for people who like very sweet cookies!
Hi Madelyn,
Thanks so much for giving these cookies a try and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear you didn’t love them! Happy Holidays! xT
These cookies were so tasty!! The icing turned out great too. The only issue I had was that my cookies didn’t flatten at all. Any tips to make sure the flatten out next time?
Hey Ashleigh,
Thanks for giving these cookies a try! Was your dough chilled at all? That will prevent the cookies from spreading. You could also tap your baking sheet on the counter. I hope this helps! xT
Made these today with the expert help of my Mom. Cookies turned out perfectly! We had the same issue with the icing as other commenters (liquid icing became spreadable icing as soon as we added the vanilla) but we were able to salvage it by putting the icing pot over a steaming pot of water and mixing in some extra browned butter and then we were able to pipe it onto the cookies with no issues. The icing is truly next level. Absolutely delicious cookies, will definitely be making these again!
Hey Kristin,
Happy Wednesday!!❄️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xT
I’m going to try them again but they were so salty my first try. Not sure why, I followed the directions exactly. Should I try unsalted butter?
Hey Anne,
Thanks for giving these cookies a try! I would try using unsalted butter next time. I hope this helps! xT
Love these! Soo simple and delicious. The icing is crazy good. The icing does set up quickly so I couldn’t drizzle it but I spread it with a spoon into the center of each cookie instead. I would like to make these year round as I love ginger cookies with a cup of tea at night.
Hey Cathryn,
Happy Wednesday!!❄️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xT
How necessary is the instant coffee/espresso powder? What would I substitute with – more cinnamon?
Hi Caroline,
If you don’t want to use the espresso powder, just skip it:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
If I want to make gingerbread latte cookies, I’ll use the original NYT Cooking recipe, not this rip-off
lol what was the point of this comment
So since the New York Times also published a chocolate chip cookie recipe once, I guess that means no one else can ever make their own chocolate chip cookie recipe? NYT’s gingerbread latte recipe is similar but definitely has more ingredients and effort. I much prefer HBH’s version and the icing is an awesome addition.
Does the espresso powder need to be instant?
Hi Nicole,
It sure does! Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
I made these as part of a gift to some of my coworkers.
I misread the recipe and did not have blackstrap molasses, only Grandma’s which, based on a google search, is sweeter than the blackstrap. IMO, this change didn’t make the cookies too sweet, even though the recipe doesn’t specify if you should pack the brown sugar or not (and I did a medium pack??).
I used 2 tbsp of Anthony’s espresso powder (for baking). I would probably reduce it to 1 or 1.5 tbsp next time as I thought the espresso gave the cookies a slight bitter taste and made me very glad I did glaze the cookies.
I used a cookie scoop and dropped the dough into the sugar and rolled into balls as I rolled them in the sugar which meant I didn’t have to add any additional flour even though the dough was a little bit sticky.
Cookies baked fine, flat and slightly crackled but nicely soft/moist.
The glaze is where I had a major issue. Made according to the recipe but once I mixed in the powdered sugar it was the consistency of playdough–definitely not pourable. Would love some feedback on where things could have gone wrong as others seemed to have no issues with this part. I tried adding in a little cream, and the mixture curdled, which was a bummer. Ended up doing a more simple glaze with powdered sugar, a little melted butter, a little cream and some cinnamon which tasted great but didn’t harden as well as I’d like.
Overall, these were fine but not the best.
Hi Adriana,
Thanks for giving these cookies a try and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear they weren’t your fave! The icing is definitely finicky, it really helps to add some milk, but you want to make sure it is warm or room temp. I am guessing yours was cold which is what caused the curdling? Let me know how I can help! xT
On my third try with the icing and no luck, would you be able to give a detailed step by step? Do you mix in the sugar while the butter is still hot? The picture makes it look so good, I’d love to get it right!
On my second attempt after my first batch curdled I let the brown butter cool a bit in the fridge and then ended up mixing in a bit of warm milk at the end. It whisked up perfectly and drizzled nicely this way!
Hey Tressa,
Thanks so much for giving these cookies a try, I’m so sorry to hear you are having issues with the icing! I would try transferring the butter to a bowl, let it cool slightly, then continue with the recipe and add some room temp milk if needed. You will want to work quickly because the icing will set fast! I hope this helps! xT
Same with the icing. I tried adding milk – this separated the butter out, I tried adding the butter to the sugar, playdoh consistency – I have no idea what happened.
So sorry Elise!! Was your milk cold? That could have been the issue!
Great and used 2.5T of instant coffee and baked for 8 mins
Hey Adele,
Happy Holidays!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you!🎁🎅
Mine spread out really far and were flat, what did I do wrong?
Hi Nora,
Happy Holidays! Thanks for giving these cookies a try, sorry to hear they spread too much for you! Were any of your ingredients expired? Is it possible your dough was too warm and needed to be chilled? Either of these would cause too much spreading. I hope this helps! xx
Excited to try this! Is blackstrap molasses necessary or can I substitute regular molasses? Is instant coffee powder just grounds?
Hi Caroline,
I would suggest using the blackstrap molasses if you have access to it. Nope, instant coffee is not just coffee grounds, you should be able to find it at your local grocery store in the coffee aisle. I hope this helps! xx
These were stupid good! I used 3T espresso powder and most of my guests and myself loved it, but it was a little too heavy for my husband. He said they tasted burnt. So if you’re not huge into espresso, tone it down. I used gluten free flour and didn’t roll them in any additional sugar, but I did ice them with the icing recipe and OMG MAKE THE ICING!!! You won’t regret it.
Hey Autumn,
Lol thanks so much!! So glad to hear that everyone enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making the cookies! Happy Holidays! xx
These are the most flavorful cookies I have ever had! I really love them Ans plan on keeping this on my holiday baking list every year.
I have a few thoughts though. 1. After all ingredients have been mixed it needs to smell “right.” I felt it was too espressoy & molassesy so I sprinkled in nutmeg and cinnamon a little bit at a time until I was satisfied. 2. I wanted to do cutout shapes but I had a very sloppy wet dough. I was afraid to add to much flour & change the flavor so I ended up with drop cookies.
I couldn’t get that crackle look at the top of my cookies though. Any suggestions???
Hey Jess,
Happy Holidays!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! For the cutout cookies, I would chill the dough until it can be rolled out for you! For the crinkle, try tapping your baking sheet on the counter, that usually helps with flattening and getting the crinkle affect! 🎁🎅