Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

My goodness – these are definitely my favorite cookies I have created for my website! They are soft and moist and the frosting is lightly sweetened and pairs so perfectly with the gingerbread flavor. If there’s any recipe you make from my website, let it be this one! It’s such a perfect recipe to share over the holidays and Christmas, and I know any family or guests that enjoy gingerbread will love it! I used my recipe from my Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Orange Glaze, but substituted a maple-sweetened cream cheese frosting in place of the orange glaze.

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Nutritional benefits of this recipe

• I use coconut sugar in my desserts, which is natural, lower glycemic, and unrefined. It’s just the dehydrated sap from coconut trees!
• Molasses is incredibly rich in iron, selenium, and copper and also has some potassium and antioxidants.
• Grass-fed butter is much healthier compared to conventional butter from grain-fed, barn-raised cows. Grass-fed butter is higher in omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), Vitamin A, Vitamin K2, and more.
• I’m a big believer in high-quality flour. I use Sunrise Flour Mill for all my baking because it’s non-GMO, unbleached, properly grown, properly milled, and organic. Wheat products in America are highly sprayed with Glyphosate which is shown to wreak havoc on our gut microbiome. Properly grown and prepped wheat products are not inflammatory, are easier to digest, and are actually nutrient-dense.

Ingredients for Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Butter – for a buttery, chewy, classic gingerbread cookie.

Brown coconut sugar – You can use golden coconut sugar instead if desired, but the brown coconut sugar helps with the color and texture of the cookies.

Unsulphured molasses – Do NOT use blackstrap! Use unsulphured molasses. Blackstrap is super super nutrient dense and healthy, but it is also extremely bitter. Unsulphured molasses hasn’t been heated as much as blackstrap, so it still has the natural sugars present and is perfect for baked goods.

Egg – for rise, moisture, and texture.

Flour – I used heritage white flour as a healthier alternative. I buy from Sunrise Flour Mill, check out their flour here and read about why it’s healthier. You can also try subbing 1:1 gluten-free but I have not tried this. I have actually tried subbing the flour for oat flour as a gluten-free alternative and I recommend subbing it by weight, not by cups. Oat flour is much less dense so the dough would be too sticky if using the same cup amount.

Baking soda – for rise.

Spices – ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and salt.

Cream cheese – for the frosting. You’ll combine cream cheese with a little bit of maple syrup and vanilla.

How to make Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Make the cream cheese frosting: Using an electric mixer, whip together the cold cream cheese with the maple syrup and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. Put into a piping bag then place in the refrigerator while waiting for the cookies.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. This will be a couple batches.
3. In a stand mixer or large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter and brown coconut sugar until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the molasses and egg and beat until combined.
5. Add the ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt and beat until combined.
6. Beat in the flour 1/2 cup at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate any rogue flour.
7. For each cookie, scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough (36 grams) and roll into balls. Place on the parchment paper lined baking sheets, leaving a couple inches between each for expansion.
8. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the tops are slightly cracked (about 9 minutes on aluminum and 10-11 on stainless steel). They will be cracked on top but still slightly gooey looking inside the cracks. Transfer cookies to a wire rack after a couple minutes and let them cool for 10 minutes on the pan before moving – this is important for letting them finish cooking and setting. Bake the second batch while waiting for the first one to cool. Again, let them rest on the pan 10 minutes before removing.
9. Once the cookies are completely cooled, frost them however desired and enjoy!
10. To store: Keep frosted cookies in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Unfrosted cookies can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Modifications and variations

• Use coconut sugar instead of maple syrup as the sweetener in the cream cheese frosting – especially if your cream cheese isn’t super thick. Coconut sugar sometimes doesn’t seem as sweet as maple syrup, so adjust as desired.

Other recipes you’ll love

Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Orange Glaze

Gingerbread Muffins with Streusel

Gingerbread Cookie Ice Cream

Almond Cranberry Cookies

I hope you love these Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting! Please be sure to leave a comment and a rating if you give them a try. I would love to know how it turned out for you!

Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

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The BEST gingerbread cookies ever! They are so moist, soft and gooey, and have the best homemade cream cheese frosting. They’re easy to make and are perfect for serving to family or guests for the holidays.

• Author: Christine Manes

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 stick of butter (113g), softened but not melted

1/2 cup brown coconut sugar (90g)

1/4 cup unsulphured molasses (60mL / 93g), do not use blackstrap

1 large egg, room temperature

2 1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups white flour, spooned and leveled (265 g), I use Sunrise Flour Mill

Frosting:

4 oz cold cream cheese*

2 Tbsp maple syrup (or 2–3 Tbsp coconut sugar)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

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Instructions

1. Make the cream cheese frosting: Using an electric mixer, whip together the cold cream cheese with the maple syrup and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. Put into a piping bag then place in the refrigerator while waiting for the cookies.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. This will be a couple batches.
3. In a stand mixer or large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter and brown coconut sugar until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the molasses and egg and beat until combined.
5. Add the ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt and beat until combined.
6. Beat in the flour 1/2 cup at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate any rogue flour.
7. For each cookie, scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough (36 grams) and roll into balls. Place on the parchment paper lined baking sheets, leaving a couple inches between each for expansion.
8. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the tops are slightly cracked (about 9 minutes on aluminum and 10-11 on stainless steel). They will be cracked on top but still slightly gooey looking inside the cracks. Transfer cookies to a wire rack after a couple minutes and let them cool for 10 minutes on the pan before moving – this is important for letting them finish cooking and setting. Bake the second batch while waiting for the first one to cool. Again, let them rest on the pan 10 minutes before removing.
9. Once the cookies are completely cooled, frost them however desired and enjoy!
10. To store: Keep frosted cookies in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Unfrosted cookies can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Notes:

*The type of cream cheese you use can be important. I find some brands of cream cheese are a bit more on the thin side (like Nancy’s), so use a classic thick cream cheese if you want a thick frosting. If your cream cheese isn’t super thick, then at least opt to sweeten with coconut sugar instead to not introduce as much liquid like maple syrup.

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