Gingerbread Cupcakes | Cookies & Cups

What Makes These Gingerbread Cupcakes So Good?

With the festive season around the corner, I can’t wait to have these gingerbread cupcakes on repeat! These soft, moist gingerbread cupcakes taste a lot like my soft-baked gingerbread cookies, flavored with caramelized brown sugar and a hint of molasses. Here’s what makes these fluffy gingerbread cupcakes so great:

• Easy ingredients. Just about every ingredient in these cupcakes is a pantry staple, apart from maybe the molasses. Luckily, I had a jar left over from my last batch of molasses cookies! In any case, everything you need is easy to find in the grocery store.
• They taste just like gingerbread! I love how close in flavor these homemade cupcakes are to classic gingerbread cookies. There’s plenty of sweet burnt caramel and warm spice in each fluffy bite. The tangy cream cheese frosting compliments the gingerbread perfectly!
• The best cream cheese frosting. Speaking of frosting, I make the white chocolate cream cheese frosting with a box of white chocolate instant pudding mix. It’s a game-changer. The texture of the frosting is silky smooth and it tastes like it came from a bakery.
• Perfect for the holidays. If holiday cheer was a dessert, it would be a frosted gingerbread cupcake. They’re super festive and easy to customize, you can decorate them any way that you like.

Ingredients You’ll Need

These are some notes on the important ingredients in this gingerbread cupcakes recipe. Scroll to the printable recipe card below the post for the full recipe measurements and details.

For the Cupcakes

• Flour – All-purpose is best.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda – Check the dates on the packaging to make sure your leavening is fresh and not expired.
• Spices – Ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, plus a pinch of salt. You can also substitute the individual spices with pumpkin pie spice.
• Butter – Brought to room temperature. You can use salted or unsalted butter.
• Brown Sugar – Dark brown sugar gives these cupcakes a richer, caramelized flavor. Light brown sugar works in a pinch. You can also follow my tutorial on how to make brown sugar from granulated sugar.
• Molasses – I recommend regular, medium, or dark molasses for gingerbread. Whatever you do, avoid blackstrap molasses, which is far too bitter.
• Egg – Also at room temperature.

For the Frosting

• Instant Pudding – I use one 3.5-ounce box of white chocolate instant pudding mix. You could also use vanilla instant pudding.
• Milk – Make sure it’s cold from the fridge.
• Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar.
• Cream Cheese – You’ll want to use a block of plain, full-fat cream cheese (not the kind that comes in tubs).
• Cool Whip – Thawed beforehand.

How to Make Gingerbread Cupcakes

The cream cheese frosting for these cupcakes needs to chill for about an hour in the fridge before you use it, so make sure to budget your time accordingly. I’ll sometimes get the frosting in the fridge first and then get started on the gingerbread cupcakes, or I’ll chill the frosting while the cupcakes cool to room temperature. It’s up to you! 

Here’s a quick look at the recipe steps, and you’ll find printable instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Recipe Tips

• Don’t overmeasure. It’s important to measure ingredients like flour correctly, otherwise it changes the outcome of the cupcakes. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup, and level off the top with the back of a knife (rather than scooping directly from the bag). Even better, use a kitchen scale!
• Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the hot water. Hot water makes the cupcake batter easier to mix and prevents lumps. Make sure to add the flour mixture a little at a time, adding hot water in between, starting and ending with the dry mixture.
• Don’t overfill the cupcake liners. I recommend filling each cupcake liner no more than ⅔ full. If you’re using a smaller pan, aim for ¾ full. If you fill the liners too high, the gingerbread cupcakes might overflow and/or deflate in the oven.

More Decorating Ideas

There’s more than one way to decorate a Christmassy gingerbread cupcake!

• Different frosting. These gingerbread cupcakes would also taste great frosted with vanilla buttercream, heritage frosting, or Swiss meringue buttercream.
• Cookie garnishes. Top the frosted cupcakes with mini gingerbread men or broken-up gingersnaps. 
• Add sprinkles. Brighten up these cupcakes with festive holiday sprinkles. Try a red, white, and green Christmas mix or gold balls (dragees).
• Caramel drizzle. Finish each frosted cupcake with a drizzle of microwave caramel sauce. Just make sure that the caramel is cool before you drizzle it so that it doesn’t melt the frosting.

How to Store

• Refrigerate. The frosted gingerbread cupcakes can be stored covered and airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also store the unfrosted cupcakes and frost them before serving.
• Freeze. The baked, unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw them in the fridge or at room temperature.