Gingerbread Latte Cookies – all the flavours of the famous warming Winter drink in a cookie! A soft baked cookie with ground ginger, dark brown sugar, treacle, espresso powder and chewy nuggets of crystallised ginger. They are so easy to make and perfect for the festive season.
I’ve thought of making gingerbread latte cookies for a long time, and now I’m kicking myself for not trying them sooner. Holy moly, these are something else.
My gingerbread latte cake is one of my most popular bakes in December, and I think these cookies might be just as popular.
The recipe is adapted from my spiced ginger cookie recipe (if you haven’t tried it, you really should!) I’ve added espresso powder and very slightly increased the sugar to counteract the bitter edge from the coffee.
If you love to partake in a little festive baking and like to be organised, then you should know that the flavour of these cookies actually gets even better a couple of days after baking them.
Open the box they are stored in and you will be hit by the individual aromas of ginger, cinnamon, coffee and brown sugar. SO. GOOD.
I like to roll the cookie dough pieces in granulated sugar for a pretty, sparkly effect and a little extra sweetness. Once baked, the cookies have a pretty crackled appearance.
If you know someone who loves coffee and gingerbread (like me!), then make their day by baking them a batch of these gorgeously spiced cookies….they will love you for it!
Looking for more coffee bakes?…..Try this espresso chocolate banana bread or my classic coffee and walnut cake.
ingredients for gingerbread latte cookies
The list below is just a quick shopping list. Please scroll to the end of the post for a printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
- Plain (all-purpose) flour
- bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ground ginger
- ground cinnamon
- instant espresso powder – you could use instant coffee granules, but finely ground espresso melts into the melted butter much faster and doesn’t end up “gritty”.
- fine salt
- softened unsalted butter
- treacle, or light or dark molasses – not blackstrap, as it’s too bitter.
- vanilla extract
- soft dark brown sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- crystallised ginger, finely chopped. You could also use a piece of finely chopped stem ginger in syrup.
- granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies
Just a little heads up….these cookies are CAFFEINATED. I wouldn’t recommend eating one just before bedtime…unless you want to party all night, of course!
They aren’t too sweet either….which is perfect if you generally find cookies a little too sugary-sweet for your liking.
step by step instructions
Step 1. Melt the butter, then stir in the instant espresso powder, mixing well so it dissolves properly.
Step 2. Allow the butter to cool down slightly, then stir in the egg, treacle, dark brown sugar and vanilla extract.
Step 3. Stir the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, ground cinnamon and ground ginger together. Stir in the finely chopped crystallised ginger.
Step 4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and using a wooden spoon, mix well to a soft dough.
Step 5. The dough will be quite soft at this stage, so you need to chill the dough for a minimum of one hour.
Step 6. Once the dough has firmed up, roll tablespoons of dough in your hands. Once chilled, the dough rolls very easily.
Step 7. Roll each piece of cookie dough on a plate (or bowl) of granulated sugar. This gives the cookies a lovely sparkling finish that looks suitably festive!
Step 8. Place each piece of dough on a lined baking tin, leaving 2 inches between each one to allow for spreading. I get six cookies at a time on my baking sheet (which is a standard size.)
Step 9. Bake the cookies in a pre-heated oven 180C/160 Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4) for 8-10 minutes. They will still be quite soft when you remove them from the oven, so leave them on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes to firm up slightly, then using a palette knife, transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Storage
These coffee-spiked gingerbread cookies will keep for up to 5 days. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
can these cookies be frozen?
Yes, they are ideal for freezing if you want to make them in advance for a family gathering or Christmas gift-giving. Wrap them in double layers of cling film, thick freezer bags or an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.
Defrost the cookies at room temperature. Please note the cookies might have a softer texture after being defrosted.
more gingerbread recipes to try
Gingerbread Latte Cookies
Indulge in the cosy warmth of these Gingerbread Latte Cookies. They are a delicious blend of ginger, brown sugar, coffee and cinnamon. The perfect Winter cookie!
Ingredients
- 125g unsalted butter
- 250g soft dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 125g treacle
- 250g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 1/2 level teaspoons bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 2 heaped teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons instant espresso powder (if you don't want such a strong coffee taste, use 2-3)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 25g finely chopped crystallised ginger
- 100g granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies
Instructions
- Grease and line a couple of baking trays with baking parchment.
- Melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat. Stir in the instant espresso powder, mixing well with a whisk so it dissolves properly.
- Allow the butter to cool down slightly, then stir in the egg, treacle, dark brown sugar and vanilla extract.
- Stir the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, ground cinnamon and ground ginger together. Stir in the finely chopped crystallised ginger pieces.
- Pour the treacle mixture over the flour mixture and using a wooden spoon, mix well to a soft dough.
- The dough will be quite soft at this stage, so you need to chill the dough for a minimum of one hour. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours at this stage).
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160 Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4.
- Once the dough has firmed up, roll tablespoons of dough in your hands. Once chilled, the dough rolls very easily.
- Place the granulated sugar in a bowl or plate. Roll the cookie dough balls in the sugar, making sure they are completely (but lightly) covered in the sugar. This will give the cookies a pretty, sparkly finish.
- Place each piece of dough on a lined baking tin, leaving 2 inches between each one to allow for spreading. I get six cookies at a time on my baking sheet, which is a standard size. You don't need to press the cookies down - just place the balls of dough right on the lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies in a pre-heated oven 180C/160 Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4) for 8-10 minutes. They will still be quite soft when you remove them from the oven, so leave them on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes to firm up slightly, then using a palette knife, transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Their flavour will improve after a couple of days.
To freeze the cookies, store in an airtight container or zip-lock freezer bags for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
I used Nescafe Azera coffee. If you can't find instant espresso powder, you can use instant coffee granules. They don't melt as easily into the butter, so you will need to use a mini whisk and whisk vigorously to dissolve the tiny grains.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 104Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 138mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 15gProtein: 0g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.
Hello from south Texas!
A quick question for you: you talk about finely chopped crystallized ginger and show it in your pictures, but it’s not listed in the ingredients! Can you please say how much is called for?
Hello Nancy, I’m so sorry about that! I’ve fixed the recipe card. It’s 25g, but if you love ginger you could add up to 50g 🙂