Gingerbread Cupcakes
Last Updated on January 20, 2024 by Allison Lancaster
Want to have the cutest dessert at the holiday party? Or how about the most delicious AND cutest, the one that everyone asks for the recipe and wants you to make again? Check out these easy Gingerbread Cupcakes with a cookie-like base that’s filled with sweet and tangy cream cheese filling and warm spices!
Table of Contents
Do you know that one person at EVERY holiday party who always has the best desserts? Now you can have the best dessert and the most adorable one with these perfect cupcakes for the holidays. Move aside gingerbread house!
These are the sweetest-looking and best-tasting holiday treats; you’ll want to eat them all year round! Even better than that, they combine two of my favorite things in the world: gingerbread and cheesecake!
One of my favorite holiday traditions is building gingerbread houses with the kids. Sure, it’s messy but it’s fun and such a sweet memory. The only negative is: we usually don’t end up eating the gingerbread houses. The cookies in the kits are usually dry, and they get tossed at the end of the season.
With this easy gingerbread cookie cupcake recipe, you get the best of both worlds: the fun of decorating AND a delicious dessert.
I also love that you can just purchase the toppers for these on Amazon or make your own gingerbread cookies to add to the top and decorate. It’s totally up to you, personally…I go for the easiest option since we have two small children.
Gingerbread Cupcakes Ingredients & Substitutions:
Butter – Softened to room temperature
Packed brown sugar – While you could use dark brown sugar, the molasses already adds enough depth of flavor and moisture.
Molasses – This creates the most delicious moist gingerbread cupcakes!
Egg – Allow the reach room temperature.
Flour – All-purpose flour or a cake flour mixture will work.
Spices – I’ve used ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a small pinch of ground cloves.
Baking soda – Just like baking powder, be sure to check the expiry date on this ingredient to ensure a good rise in these baked cupcakes.
Corn starch – This ingredient is important to ensure tender gingerbread cupcakes. It’s also naturally gluten-free!
Cheesecake filling – Combine softened cream cheese, powdered sugar (or icing sugar), brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger.
How To Make Gingerbread Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat mini cupcake pan or muffin tins with cooking spray.
- Cream the unsalted butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy using a stand mixer or electric mixer.
- Add the molasses and egg to the butter mixture and beat until well combined
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients, then to the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined
- Make balls of about 2 tbsp. of cookie dough with the help of a cookie scoop. And place into each muffin cup
- Bake
- Remove from oven and using the back of a small teaspoon measuring spoon press in the cups of the cookie cupcake to form the bowl. Allow the cupcakes to finish cooling.
- While the cupcake cookies are cooling, make the cheesecake filling. Mix the cream cheese, brown sugar, powdered sugar, ginger and cinnamon together until smooth.
- Pipe the cheesecake filling into cookie cups with a piping bag.
- These are best stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Serve
Top these festive gingerbread cupcakes with mini gingerbread men and serve them at holiday parties with other holiday season treats.
How To Store These Gingerbread Cupcakes
Store these easy gingerbread cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge (due to the cream cheese) for 3-5 days. Keep in mind that the cupcake bases can start to dry out the longer they are stored in the fridge.
These fluffy gingerbread cupcakes can also be stored in the freezer for 1-2 months. I recommend removing any decorations, such as mini gingerbread men or homemade gingerbread cookies from the tangy cream cheese frosting before storing the cupcakes.
Allow the chilled gingerbread cupcakes to sit on the counter for about 2 hours before serving for best flavor and texture.
Recipe FAQ’s:
What if I want to make one large gingerbread cake?
Simply add your cupcake batter into a 9″ round cake or springform pan and top with the cinnamon cream cheese frosting!
Do I have to use cream cheese as the filling for this gingerbread cupcakes recipe?
Not at all! You can use whatever filling you’d like. Whether it’s a chocolate mousse, buttercream, etc., you get to customize these homemade cupcakes however you’d like!
Can I use a box cake mix for this gingerbread cupcake recipe?
Yes, you can! Something like a box of spice cake mix would be ideal for this recipe. Check the box to see what type of gingerbread spices are included and add any that may be missing to ensure the best gingerbread flavor in these cupcakes.
How long should cupcakes cool before frosting?
The cookie cupcake bases should cool completely before adding the frosting as any residual heat can melt the cream cheese filling. This can take 20 minutes to an hour. For faster cooling, remove the cupcakes from the pans and let them cool on a wire rack. You could also add them to the fridge to cool down faster.
Will cream cheese frosting harden in the fridge?
Yes. Cream cheese frosting hardens and stiffens in the fridge which is why I recommend that you allow any leftover cupcakes sit at room temperature for a while before serving so that the frosting has time to soften.
Other Fun And Cute Holiday Treats
- Christmas Tree Brownies
- Santa’s Cookies (Red Velvet Christmas Cookies)
- Christmas Cookie Cake
- Grinch Marshmallow Pops
- Buttercream Christmas Wreath Cake From Cake Mix
I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious recipe for gingerbread cupcakes! If you try it, please come back and leave me a comment letting me know how you liked it. And if you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I love hearing from you.
Gingerbread Cupcakes Recipe:
Gingerbread Cupcakes
Want to have the cutest dessert at the holiday party? Or how about the most delicious AND cutest, the one that everyone asks for the recipe and wants you to make again! Check out the best Gingerbread Cupcakes with cream cheese filling!
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tbsp molasses
- 2 cups flour
- 2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- small pinch of cloves
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp corn starch
Cream Cheese Filling
- 12 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat mini cupcake pan or muffin tins with cooking spray.
- Cream the unsalted butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy using a stand mixer or electric mixer.
- Add the molasses and egg to the butter mixture and beat until well combined
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients, then to the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined
- Make balls of about 2 tbsp. of cookie dough with the help of a cookie scoop. And place into each muffin cup
- Bake for 10-12 minutes
- Remove from oven and using a the back of a small teaspoon measuring spoon press in the cups of the cookie cupcake to form the bowl. Allow the cupcakes to finish cooling.
- While the cupcake cookies are cooling, make the cheesecake filling. Mix the cream cheese, brown sugar, powdered sugar, ginger and cinnamon together until smooth.
- Pipe the cheesecake filling into cookie cups with a piping bag.
- These are best stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 216Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 148mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 0gSugar: 20gProtein: 2g
