The Best Fluffy Pancakes recipe you will fall in love with. Full of tips and tricks to help you make the best pancakes.
When it comes to holiday baking, nothing captures the warmth, nostalgia, and cozy magic of the season more than gingerbread. From the moment the aroma of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and molasses fills your kitchen, you know Christmas has arrived. These Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Cookies are everything you love about classic gingerbread — soft, warmly spiced, deeply flavorful — transformed into a beautiful, festive cupcake perfect for holiday gatherings.
These cupcakes are moist, tender, and infused with all the comforting spices that define holiday baking. The batter combines rich molasses with warm spices to create a cupcake that tastes like a soft gingerbread cookie in cake form. And the frosting? A silky, fluffy cream cheese frosting that is tangy, sweet, and the perfect complement to the spice.
To finish, each cupcake is topped with a mini gingerbread cookie. This simple decoration elevates the entire look, making these cupcakes Instagram-ready and festival-table-worthy. You can also decorate with star cookies, gingerbread men, snowflake cookies, or crushed gingerbread crumbs around the edges.
Whether you’re hosting Christmas dinner, attending a cookie exchange, preparing gifts for coworkers, or simply craving a cozy December treat, these gingerbread cupcakes deliver on flavor, presentation, and festive cheer.
Why These Gingerbread Cupcakes Are So Special
1. The Flavor Is Pure Holiday Magic
Warm ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves combine with molasses to create the authentic taste of Christmas.
2. Moist, Tender Texture
Oil and brown sugar keep the cupcakes incredibly soft — never dry, never crumbly.
3. Cream Cheese Frosting That’s Silky & Not Too Sweet
Perfect balance to the spiced cupcake.
4. Adorable Cookie Toppers
So simple, yet they transform each cupcake into a bakery-worthy treat.
5. Perfect for Holiday Parties
Easy to serve, easy to transport, easy to decorate.
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cloves (optional, strong flavor)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ⅓ cup molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: ½ tsp cinnamon (to make cinnamon cream cheese frosting)
Decoration
- Mini gingerbread cookies or gingerbread men
- Holiday sprinkles
- Crushed gingerbread crumbs (optional)
Instructions
Make the Gingerbread Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tray with festive liners.
- In a bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk oil, eggs, milk, molasses, and vanilla.
- Combine wet and dry mixtures and whisk until smooth.
- Fill cupcake liners ⅔ full.
- Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy.
- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing on low.
- Add vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
- Chill frosting for 10–15 minutes for firmer piping.
Assemble the Gingerbread Cupcakes
- Fit a piping bag with a large round or star tip.
- Pipe tall swirls of cream cheese frosting onto each cupcake.
- Press a mini gingerbread cookie gently into the frosting.
- Add holiday sprinkles or a dusting of cinnamon if desired.
Now your cupcakes look bakery-perfect and holiday-ready!
Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Cookies
Soft, warmly spiced gingerbread cupcakes topped with smooth cream cheese frosting and mini gingerbread cookies.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a cupcake pan with liners.
- Whisk flour, brown sugar, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Whisk oil, eggs, milk, molasses, and vanilla in another bowl.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients until combined.
- Fill liners 2/3 full and bake 18–20 minutes.
- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until fluffy.
- Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.
- Top with mini gingerbread cookies and sprinkles.
Notes
For stronger ginger flavor, add an additional 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger.
Expert Tips for Perfect Gingerbread Cupcakes
1. Use Good Quality Molasses
Unsulphured molasses creates deep, authentic gingerbread flavor.
2. Don’t Overmix the Batter
Mix gently to keep cupcakes tender.
3. Chill the Frosting Before Piping
Cream cheese frosting is soft — chilling helps achieve perfect swirls.
4. Add an Extra Spice Kick
If you love strong gingerbread flavor, increase ginger to 2 teaspoons.
5. Decorate Right Before Serving
Cookies stay crisp and delightful.
Fun Decoration Variations
Gingerbread Men Cupcakes
Top with tiny gingerbread men cookies.
Snowy Christmas Cupcakes
Add white sanding sugar or powdered sugar.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Swirls
Add ½ tsp cinnamon to the frosting for extra warmth.
Salted Caramel Gingerbread Cupcakes
Add a drizzle of caramel over the frosting.
Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes
Add ½ tsp instant espresso to the cupcake batter.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these cupcakes:
- At holiday dinner parties
- On Christmas Eve dessert boards
- With hot chocolate or chai lattes
- As edible gifts with cookie boxes
- At winter birthday parties
- For festive brunch gatherings
They are gorgeous on a tiered stand surrounded by gingerbread cookies and candy canes.
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature:
Up to 6 hours (cream cheese frosting is safe short-term).
Refrigerator:
Store in airtight container for 3–4 days.
Freezer:
Freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to 2 months.
Freeze frosting separately.
Fun Holiday Fact
Gingerbread has been a Christmas tradition for centuries — even Queen Elizabeth I decorated gingerbread cookies shaped like people as royal gifts. Now we continue the tradition in cupcakes!
