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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
Cookies baked up well. Icing failed twice! First time I added everything at once and it sizzled and butter separated. Second time I added sugar first to let it cool a little and it separated again. 🙁 I tried adding a little milk and it separated more. is something missing from the Icing recipe?
Can I chill the cookie dough for a few days before cooking?
Hi Marlow,
Yes, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Cookies are good but frosting was a bust. Total disaster
Hi Crystal,
So glad to hear you enjoyed the cookies! What happened with the icing? Please let me know how I can help! Sorry for the trouble! xx
All the best flavor combinations! The frosting is amazing (at least the second portion I made). In DK we don’t really use molasses, so I used half honey and half agave syrup in stead.
Hey Matilde,
Perfect!! I love to hear that these cookies were enjoyed, thanks so much for making them! xT
I agree with previous comments. We love HBH and the *cookies* were a win….but the icing was a big fail. I echo was Alyssa G said regarding icing being clumpy and then separating. I made it a second time but only melted the butter (vs browning) and didn’t add as much powdered sugar as the recipe calls for. It worked much better, but still wasn’t that great. I love the concept. I hope Tieghan can rework it so it’s easier for users!
In the post she says you at milk at the end to think it out…unfortunately it’s not in the instructions so easy to miss it!
Hi Mary,
Thanks for giving these cookies a try, so glad to hear they were enjoyed!! This icing is thick and it thickens fast, but adding some milk should help to thin it out! xx
Delicious- more molasses flavor than ginger but yum…a warm, toasty taste. The frosting was just fine. used 1.5 cup powered sugar. Use the whisk to drizzle- Fast and with some distance from the cookie. Messy equals beautiful with this frosting. We added some Xmas sprinkles since my 3 year old insisted and they’re very festive.
Hey Danielle,
Fantastic!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, I love to hear that it was tasty! Have a great weekend:)
Cookie was great, but my frosting flopped too. The browned butter sizzled when I added the other ingredients and it became too thick to work with. I added milk as suggested, but it completely separated the butter/ingredients and became chunky. I ended up using a similar icing recipe from another gingerbread cookie on here and it worked fine (perhaps because the butter wasn’t browned).
Hi Kathryn,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear about the icing, I think the butter may have needed to cool slightly! xx
If I want to freeze these cookies to bake at a later stage, can I roll the cookie balls through the sugar before freezing or should I do that after I’ve taken them from the freezer when I’m ready to bake? Thanks!!
Hey Lauren,
I would wait to roll the cookies until you are ready to bake. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xx
An excellent cookie that has an unusual combination of ingredients but tastes so good. Surprisingly well received by those who have a strong aversion to coffee. It just works so well for everybody…darn it. I made this cookie just for me but everybody is eating my private “stash.” Christmas is all about sharing, right?
Hey Earl,
Happy Friday! ☃️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! xT
Cookies are soft, chewy and delicious! The icing flopped the first time, or so I thought. I reread the entire post and saw the part about adding milk at the end. In the recipe there is no mention of milk in the ingredients or the instructions. If I wouldn’t have reread the entire post it would have flopped again. Luckily it turned out and they are fabulous.
Hey Nancy,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making these cookies:) I am so glad they were enjoyed!! I will fix the icing! xT
My first experience putting espresso in a baked good and it did not disappoint. Thanks for this unique and amazing recipe!
Hey Bethany,
Happy Friday! ☃️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! xT
I would probably add more Ginger. I also struggled with the icing one and a 1/2 cups of powdered sugar was too loose and 2 cups was almost too thick. Based on the photos I thought the consistency would be something that I could drizzle over the cookies.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for making these cookies and sharing your feedback! My icing is definitely on the thicker side as well, for a thinner icing just add some milk. xx
I struggled big time on the icing, should the browned butter be cooled before adding the remaining ingredients? It says remove from heat but when I did that and added everything it sizzled like crazy and got way too thick. When I added a dash of milk it totally separated the mixture so I started over and am cooling the browned butter this time. Any suggestions are appreciated!
Hey Alyssa,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! So sorry to hear you had issues with the icing, I would definitely try to let it cool slightly next time. I hope this helps! xT
Cookies are delicious. Frosting was a fail.
Hi Emily,
So glad to hear these cookies were enjoyed! Did something specific happen with the frosting? Let me know how I can help! xT
I love your recipes and try my best to improvise on ingredients I can’t get because I live in Costa Rica. I’m really wanting to make these cookies but molasses can not be found here. Or corn syrup. Is there anything you would recommend as a substitute?
Thanks so much for your kind message Chelle and trying so many recipes! I would try using maple syrup, honey, or apple butter. Let me know how that turns out! xT
Corn syrup might be labeled glucose syrup or bakers glucose there. Molasses has several substitutes if you google it. Usually I use a combo of dark brown sugar and water when I need a substitute for that.