These perfectly spiced and frosted gingerbread cookies have a fluffy cream cheese frosting, making them an instant family favorite for the holiday season. Have them served and ready to eat in less than 30 minutes!
Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Icing
Everyone always craves gingerbread during the holidays, so what better way to satisfy their cravings than baking up some frosted gingerbread cookies?
This crumbl copycat cookies recipe creates the most delicious, chewy cookies. But what makes these cookies even more special is the rich cream cheese icing that no gingerbread man can live up to.
Why You’ll Love this Crumbl Cookie Copycat Recipe:
- Festive Flavors: This delicious gingerbread cookie recipe has warm flavors of cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, and clove — perfect for the holiday season!
- Quick & Easy: Get these cookies from the kitchen to the table in under 30 minutes!
Trademark Note: In the spirit of transparency, I want to note that this is a copycat recipe for an existing product. Crumbl is a proprietary brand that I want to acknowledge and give credit to.
How to Make Frosted Gingerbread Cookies
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
- Beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Then beat in the wet ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Roll the dough and place it onto the cookie sheet according to the instructions below (in the recipe card).
- Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 9 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool for 3 to 4 minutes before removing and placing them on a cooling rack.
- Repeat until all the cookies have been baked. Serve and enjoy!
You should use unsulphured molasses in this recipe for the added flavor that it brings to these tasty cookies.
No! This cookie dough is too soft to be rolled out and cut into shapes. It will not hold shape in the oven, and you’ll end up with odd-shaped blobs!
Gingerbread cookies should be soft and chewy! If your gingerbread cookies are too hard, you may have used too much sugar or overbaked them. Always measure your sugar using the spoon-and-level method!
If your gingerbread cookies are dry and crumbly, you likely used too much flour or overmixed the dough. Always measure your flour using the spoon-and-level method, and take care not to overwork the dough!
If your cream cheese frosting is too thin, add cornstarch, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. If your cream cheese frosting is too thick, add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. You want the frosting to hold its shape when piped!
Yes! Because these cookies are frosted with cream cheese frosting, they need to be refrigerated.
Recipe Variations
- Add crushed peppermint on top for a satisfying crunch!
- Dust the top of the icing with freshly grated nutmeg for an earthier flavor.
- Make your own eggnog frosting for an even more decadent gingerbread cookie!
Make Ahead Instructions
The gingerbread cookie dough can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to bake. You can also store the dough in individual balls in the freezer for up to 3 months. If baking from frozen, add an additional 1-2 minutes to the final bake time.
The cream cheese frosting can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. You may wish to rewhip the frosting before using it.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover frosted gingerbread cookies in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy cold or at room temperature.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze frosted gingerbread cookies in a single layer on a lined baking sheet until solid, about 1-2 hours. Transfer to an airtight container or Ziplock bag with wax paper between each cookie to store for up to 1 month. Let thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Frosting Variations
This cream cheese frosting is indulgent! But you can spice it up even more by:
- Adding the zest of 1 lemon
- Adding ¼ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
- Adding chopped crystallized ginger
- Adding a drop of maple extract
Tips for the Best Frosted Gingerbread Cookies
- Portion your cookies using a cookie scoop to get uniformly-sized cookies.
- While you don’t need to chill the cookie dough before baking, the cookies will spread less if you do.
- Take care not to overbake the cookies; otherwise, they will come out hard.
- If your cookies come out irregularly shaped, you can take a round cookie cutter or a glass that is slightly larger than your cookies and gently swirl it around each cookie right after they come out of the oven to make them perfectly round.
- While I piped the frosting on my cookies, you can also simply spread the frosting with a knife.
Want more Crumbl Cookie recipes? Try Cosmic Brownie Cookies, German Chocolate Cake Cookies, and Confetti Cake Cookies.
You and your guest won’t enough of this copycat crumbl cookie recipe! There’s nothing like warm, frosted gingerbread cookies to get everyone in the holiday spirit. How did your cookies turn out? Let us know in the comment below!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Frosted Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113 grams, room temperature (1 stick)
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams, divided
- ½ cup brown sugar 107 grams
- 1 large egg 50 grams, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 grams
- ¼ cup unsulphured molasses 170 grams
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 240 grams
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 grams
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking powder 2 grams
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese 114 grams, room temperature (½ brick)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 43 grams, room temperature (⅜ stick)
- 1 cup powdered sugar 113 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- Sprinkles optional
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Cookie Portion Scoop (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer, beat the butter, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar together in a large bowl. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and molasses.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined, but do not over mix the cookies.
- Roll 2 tablespoons of the dough into a ball and roll in the remaining ¼ cup sugar. Place 6 cookies on the cookie sheet and press out into ¼-inch thickness.
- Place in the oven and bake for 9 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 3-4 minutes before removing and placing them on a cooling rack.
- Repeat until all the cookies have been baked.
For the Frosting
- Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy, then sift the powdered sugar into the butter and beat. Add the vanilla and combine.4 ounces cream cheese, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- When the cookies are completely cooled, pipe the icing in a circle over the cookies.
- Add some sprinkles to the cookies if you wish.Sprinkles
Notes
- For gluten-free cookies, swap the all-purpose flour for an equal amount of gluten-free 1:1 baking flour.
- Spice up the frosting by adding the zest of 1 lemon, ¼ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, chopped crystallized ginger, or a drop of maple extract.
- Portion your cookies using a cookie scoop to get uniformly-sized cookies.
- While you don’t need to chill the cookie dough before baking, the cookies will spread less if you do.
- Take care not to overbake the cookies; otherwise, they will come out hard.
- If your cookies come out irregularly shaped, you can take a round cookie cutter or a glass that is slightly larger than your cookies and gently swirl it around each cookie right after they come out of the oven to make them perfectly round.
- While I piped the frosting on my cookies, you can also simply spread the frosting with a knife.
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
This recipe won’t print. It opens this blog page in another window instead. I use your blog a lot and this happens to a lot of your recipes. It’s very disappointing as my laptop takes up too much counter space. Thank you.
Please fix this recipe. I am unable to print it. The print button opens the same page in a new window.
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