Tis the season! These Gingerbread Cupcakes have a spiced gingerbread cupcake topped off with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting. Add a gingerbread cookie for even more gingerbread love!
It’s not Christmas without all the gingerbread! For even more gingerbread recipes, try these Glazed Gingerbread Baked Donuts or these Gingerbread Waffles with Lemon Sauce.
Gingerbread is one of those favorites that I have to have every Christmas season. In fact, it doesn’t feel like Christmas until I’ve had both gingerbread and peppermint.
These Gingerbread Cupcakes check all of the holiday boxes. An easy homemade cupcake is topped with the most delicious brown sugar cream cheese frosting. And for an even more festive touch, you can decorate them with a small ginger cookie.
Ingredients
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour.
- Spices: For the spices, you’ll use a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. If you want to make things easier, you can use 2 1/4 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: you’ll use an equal amount of baking powder and baking soda to give the cupcakes lift and texture.
- Oil: You will want to use a neutral flavored oil. I used vegetable oil.
- Molasses: This is the secret ingredient that you need to make any gingerbread recipe. During December, it is harder to find at the grocery store, simply because being used so much.
- Sugar: Between the cupcakes and the icing, you will need more than one kind of sugar. The cupcakes use brown sugar, while the frosting uses brown sugar and powdered sugar.
- Egg: You just need 1 egg.
- Buttermilk: The buttermilk keeps the cupcakes nice and moist.
- Cream Cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature.
- Butter: I always use unsalted butter.
- Vanilla: The vanilla brings in flavor.
- Salt: This is to balance the flavors.
- Soft Ginger Cookies: I made my homemade Soft Ginger Cookies. You could definitely use store bought cookies, but the homemade version really adds something special.
How to Make Gingerbread Cupcakes
note: This is just an overview. Make sure to check out the full ingredient and instructions list in the recipe card below.
STEP 1: Mix all of the dry ingredients together. I like to do this with a whisk to make sure everything is well combined.
STEP 2: Start mixing the wet ingredients – mix the sugar and the oil first, then add the egg. Then add the buttermilk and the molasses. Once this is all combined. add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to fully combine.
Fill your cups with the batter and bake. Let the cupcakes cool completely
STEP 3: While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese, then beat in the butter. Start adding in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until it is all combined. Beat in the vanilla and the salt.
STEP 4: Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and top the cupcakes with the frosting. If desired, you can add on a ginger cookie.
Tips and Tricks
I used my soft ginger cookie recipe and 1/2 tablespoon of dough for each cookie. You could also use a store bought cookie to make things easier.
This makes a generous amount of frosting for each cupcake.
The original recipe posted here had a gingerbread cookie base as well as being topped with the gingerbread cupcake. I decided to simplify things, but if you do want to give them another layer, you can place about 1 tablespoon of dough in the bottom of the cupcake wrapper. Bake for 6 minutes, then remove from the oven and continue by adding batter on top.
More Holiday Desserts
Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
Easy Fudge
Cranberry Orange Cheesecake
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Gingerbread Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Mini ginger cookies optional*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 16 muffin cups with liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
- In another bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the oil and brown sugar until combined. Add in the egg and beat to combine. Mix in the buttermilk and molasses.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. (Once it is done mixing, I like to take a spatula to scrape the bowl down completely to make sure everything is combined.)
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.
- Bake the in the preheated oven until a tester inserted in the middle comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 19 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely.
- To make the icing, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the butter and continue to beat until light and fluffy.
- Add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a tie, until it is all incorporated. Add in the vanilla and the salt and continue to beat for another 2-3 minutes, until fluffy.
- Pipe the frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes, and if desired, top with a mini ginger cookie.
ck says
hi! i am wondering if you think the recipe would work if i omitted the gingerbread cookie? I can’t get my hands on the box mix in july… much love <3
Deborah says
Yep – they will be a little bit different, but they should still work!
Joanne says
Inspiration comes from the craziest places! Hope you guys had an awesome Christmas and that it was filled with much cupcake deliciousness!
Chels R. says
These cupcakes look completely amazing!!!! I can’t believe this is the last dessert of the year!!!! I don’t blame you tho, I’m already deserted out, lol!
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says
Love all the different textures in this recipe, the cookie puts this over the top in the best way possible!
Erin @ Simple, Sweet & Savory says
These are gorgeous and they’re like the epitome of Christmas. YUM! Can’t wait to try these.
Jen @ Baked by an Introvert says
These cupcakes look incredible! I’m loving the gingerbread flavor.
marla says
I’m crazy in love with these cupcakes!