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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
There’s definitely something up with the icing. Cookies are divine! I decided to try the icing as written. The butter and sugar combined fine, but the second I added the vanilla, it split. I ended up just using it because I didn’t want to waste a stick of butter. It spread on fine, just isn’t the prettiest. Very tasty cookies, but the icing is off.
Hey Emily,
Happy Holidays!!☃️ I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and your comment! The icing does thicken quick, adding some milk can help to thin it out. xT
These were good! I used a shot of espresso instead of the powder and just drizzled melted white chocolate over top instead of the frosting. They were a nice, not too sweet cookie and I’m for sure making them again!
Hey Leesha,
Happy Holidays!!☃️ I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and your comment! xT
Thank you Tieghan for this recipe, they’re delicious and have been a crowd favourite.
For anyone planning on making them, here’s a few things I learned that will hopefully help 🙂
1. Drop cookies had a better shape and softer texture than cut outs – and were so much faster/easier if you’re time poor. Just give them enough space to spread out.
2. I let the butter cool to room temp after browning before adding the other ingredients – because it turned into a clumpy blob on my first attempt. Adding a splash of milk also helped get the perfect consistency.
Hey Amber,
Happy Holidays!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you!🎄❄️
I had a couple of problems with these delicious cookies. I used the drop method. My cookies remained “domes”, not flat like the photos. And, I couldn’t get the baking time right. I am using a convection oven, and reduced heat by 25 degrees and baked for 7 minutes. That was too long. I cut it back to 6, still too long. The cookies were dry inside. Five minutes worked best on convection, but I think I could even reduce the time a little more. I, too, cut back on the butter, as suggested in comments below, using just 3 tbs. instead of the entire stick. I kept a small glass bowl with warm milk in it, and continued to add teaspoon at a time to the icing as needed while I drizzled by fork onto the cookies. It DOES set up quickly, so I iced a few, sprinkled tiny bits of salt, and then continued icing a few more cookies, then salt, etc. I probably got 5 or 6 cookies quickly iced before I needed to add a little more milk to thin it out again. Not as pretty as yours, Tieghen, but they are delicious.
Hey Angela,
Happy Holidays! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I’ve never tried these in convection so thanks for sharing what worked well for you! I would try tapping your baking sheet on the counter next time for a flatter cookie. I hope this helps! xT
These were okay, not my favorite! I had to make the frosting twice. My butter separated when I mixed in the powdered sugar to the hot butter. I had to cool the butter down first before adding in powdered sugar. Frosting was still super thick so had to add in a couple tablespoons of milk.
Hey Amy,
Happy Holidays! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, sorry to hear you had some issues and that these weren’t your fave! xx
Coffee gave the cookies a great flavor. Was afraid of over or under cooking but they came out perfect – chewy. Had to spread the frosting. May opt for different frosting next time but they taste great. Thank you.
Hey Cheryl,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making them! xT
Finished them just now. They are amazing… and easy. Try icing is to die for!!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Holidays!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! 🎄❄️
Love this recipe. Tried out today. Forgot to put milk in for icing, do not think it effected it to much but will include next time. YUM. Thank you Tieghan!!
Hey Rachel,
Happy Holidays!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! 🎄❄️
Wish I read the reviews before I made the icing. It def comes out more as a paste, so my cookies are ugly, but they taste delicious. Good to know warm milk would fix the problem.
Hi Angelina,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you had issues with the icing! Happy Holidays! xT
The icing was a disaster. Tried making it twice and just came out as paste.
Hi Kerry,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, so sorry about the icing! I think if you added some milk that would have helped to thin it out. Let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Hi!
Can I use ground coffee powder instead of instant coffee powder?
Hi Lauren,
So sorry, but ground coffee is not going to work in the same way, you will want to use the instant coffee powder. Let me know if I can help in any other way, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Can you make these ahead of time and freeze?
Hey Courtney,
Totally, I would just recommend doing so without the frosting and saving that for when you thaw the cookies. Let me know if you have any other questions! xT
ok I just messed up two batches of icing and finally got it right. ONLY USE 3 T of butter and brown that. Add that to the 1.5 C of confectioners sugar to which you have added the cinnamon and salt. Also add 2T of warm milk and the vanilla. Perfection! Could use a fork and drizzle just like in the photo. 1 stick of butter is WAY too much…
Thank you emilie, I agree with you.
Hey Emilie,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing what worked well for you, I love to hear that the icing worked! Happy Holidays! xT
My new favorite winter cookie! I made these with Bob’s GF flour and they’re insanely delicious, but don’t have the nice crackle look from Tiegan’s photos. I used 2T bold espresso powder which was perfect for my taste and had to add some warm milk to the frosting to get it smooth enough to drizzle. Already can’t wait to make them again!
Hey Laura,
Happy Holidays!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! 🎄❄️
Had same issue with the icing. Not the consistency of the photo for sure=more like paste. Any ideas how to fix this?
I added a little warm milk to mine and whisked until smooth
Hey Emilie,
Thanks so much for giving these cookies a try! I would add some milk to the icing to help thin it out! Let me know if that helps! Happy Holidays! xT