Next Post
Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili Tacos.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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!
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
Beat the butter with dark brown sugar and a high-quality espresso or instant coffee powder. 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.
Roll the dough into decently sized balls. This is a sticky dough, but if you’re having trouble, add a couple of tablespoons of additional flour.
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 butter on the stove. Then add everything to the brown butter and thin it out with some milk. 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.
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.
Love this recipe!
Made it and sooo many compliments.
Having a bit of trouble with the icing in metric land (Australia) here.
It is coming out really thick, how many grams of butter is meant to have?
Or any other suggestions would be welcome!
I made these for my Christmas Cookie box this year. Personally, I don’t really care for gingerbread cookies, but I know they’re a fan fave, so I tried them out. I was actually really impressed with these and liked them myself! The cookie is chewy and has a deep, almost bitter flavor (I think that’s the molasses?). I was worried I added a bit too much coffee (the recipe is a bit ambiguous since it says 2-4 tablespoons), but what makes these cookies delicious (and what makes the bitter flavor go away) is the icing. I was worried about it per the other reviews, but mine turned out just fine! I used vanilla extract instead of vanilla powder. I also waited a significantly long time for the browned butter to cool down. I would recommend adjusting the recipe slightly – less powdered sugar and more brown butter make it more of a butter-forward icing, instead of a sickly sweet frosting.
Hey Alyssa! I really appreciate this feedback! Thanks for giving it a try! xT
I am not sure what I did wrong, but this dough was super sticky. I could not get it to roll without it tearing apart. I used a ton of flour and still could not get it to work. I am super sad!
Hi Bethany! Oh no! Is there anything you did differently? xT
Hi,
I’m excited to try these cookies!
Quick question – can I freeze any of the batter to make at a later time?
These are so delicious! I added a tablespoon of brewed coffee to the batter and they came out wonderfully!
Saw the comments about the icing and was nervous, but it came out ok! I let the melted butter sit for a few minutes and while still warm, whisked in the milk, some vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean powder, cinnamon, and then vigorously whisked in the powdered sugar (adding slowly). It came out more like a glaze, but didn’t curdle and was very easy to drizzle over the cookies. Highly recommend!
Thank you for trying out this recipe Christine! xT
I am making these for a cookie exchange and just tried one! I love them! New favorite for the season, can’t wait to have one with my coffee!
Wow thank you so so much Susan! xT
I think the recipe has too much molasses. I would reduce to 1/4 cup. The dough is too sticky and the resulting cookie is too cakey. Like another reviewer, I used baileys in the icing instead of milk. Yum!
These are SO good! I made them for a cookie exchange and everyone loved them. I added a splash of milk to the frosting and had no problem with it setting up too quickly. I could have eaten the frosting by the spoonful!
Hey Callie! Thank you so so much! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed! xT
Holy smokes! These are some of the best cookies I’ve ever had! I used the drop method and baked for just under 8 minutes. I also only made half the amount of the frosting and it was plenty.
Wow thank you soooo much Deborah! Love to hear that! xT
These cookies came out perfectly and were delicious! I’m confused why so many had problems. However, the icing did make way too much and I did have to add a splash of whole milk. (Will half the icing recipe next time) But otherwise, amazing and will be making every year!! Thanks!
Thank you for this feedback Jill! xT
Agree with most other commenters – the icing is off. It’s not a drippy glaze, and when you add more milk to thin it out, it just curdles. The taste is decent, but visually, it doesn’t look very appealing. The icing also made twice the amount needed. Definitely half this!
The molasses is overwhelming in the cookies by themselves, but the icing does help to even that taste out.
Hey Tiegan! I just wanted to say this is a genius recipe and applaud you for the idea. I made the decision to do a trial run of these before I make a batch for Christmas and I have some questions. I chose to use cutters with designs in them and the cookies puffed up way too much- is there a way to remedy this? The cookies aren’t very sweet but they do have that delicious hint of latte combined with the ginger. Just hoping I can get the designs down and the icing turns out right!
Hi Paige! So sorry about that! I would maybe add a little less flour if you feel like they have puffed up too much! xT
The icing recipe was terrible. It tasted good, but looked terrible. I tried to add milk, and it split and curdled. It has some potential as a filler for a sandwich cookie (if I catch myself before trying to thin it with milk), but I didn’t have enough cookies for that, so I had to go to a different blog and find a different cookie glaze recipe I could adapt at the last minute. So disappointed in this recipe. HBH, I know you are capable of better.
I used the recipe as is, but ended up adding a healthy dash of Bailey’s Irish Cream to my frosting. It got the consistency more drizzly and complimented the coffee flavor in the cookie. Got lots of compliments at our cookie baking contest at work.
I’m going to make these but I’m going to melt white chocolate chips, and add some meyer lemon, and then drizzle on using a pastry tip….
Just a different flavor sensation …
Thank you so much Brenda! 🙂 xT
These cookies are wonderful! Like other commenters, I’ve had issues with the icing, but have found if I omit the vanilla from the icing, it doesn’t split and is just like the pictures (and tastes great)!
I love the consistency of these cookies! The only issue I ran into was trying to make the icing… it was no where near liquidy enough to drizzle. I assumed I did something wrong, so when my second attempt turned out exactly the same, I had to add a splash of milk, which was exactly what it needed. Adding the milk, I give this 5 stars! The flavor of the cookie with the icing is delicious!
My cookies came out a little more puffed and cakey rather than the cracked flat appearance in the photos. Anyone have a similar experience (for the drop style)? Any recommendations to adjust?
Is 1 1/2 cup butter right? They spread out a lot and we’re quite cakey – didn’t look anything like the pictures and that’s a lot more butter than other similar recipes
1.5 sticks or 3/4 cup
1.5 sticks is 3/4 cup.
I should have read the comments before I made the icing but I usually find HBH to be reliable. The icing tasted great just looks messy and was not able to be drizzled. Not exactly the look I was going for withe my holiday cookies.
Hi, I just tried this recipe and got the same results, puffy and cake like cookies. The only difference I can think of is maybe she added a little bit of water to the espresso powder (1/2 tbsp for 2 tbsp powder) instead of adding the granules straight into the butter/sugar. My cookies are not as dark a color as in the picture and adjusting the expresso powder is the only thing I can think is the difference.
I had the same issue, Casey cookies not a soft chewy ginger snap. I read 1.5 sticks as 1.5 cups as well. Disappointing. Might try to salvage them by making into sandwich cookies with this icing that is apparently to thick for drizzling.
I had the same experience