Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (2024)

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (1)

Fact: Gingerbread is to Christmas what pumpkin pie is to Thanksgiving. You could celebrate without it, but it really wouldn't be the same. And why would you want to? Gingerbread is fantastic! Aside from its namesake ginger, the quintessential Christmas flavor typically features cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses, and other spices, making it rich, warming and spicy. Whether you're a superfan or just a regular fan, odds are that the family will expect at least one or two gingerbread treats on to your Christmas menu. Now, you could just bake (or buy) a few gingerbread cookies, and maybe toss up a gingerbread house and call it a season. But there's so much more you can do with this flavor that we wanted to inspire you to think outside the cookie cutter. So we've rounded up all kinds of easy gingerbread dessert recipes that put a playful spin on the traditional sweet.

Try your hand at our gingerbread cheesecake with pecan-graham crust, opt for something a little more elegant with a gingerbread pear loaf, or introduce children to the flavor with gingerbread-chocolate chunk no-churn ice cream. The wonderful thing about gingerbread is that you can make it the dominant taste of a Christmas dessert recipe, or simply incorporate it as more of a supporting player if your Christmas dinner guests have a more sensitive palate. Whichever route you choose, make sure at least one gingerbread recipe is on your table. It just wouldn't be the holidays without it.

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1

Ginger Pumpkin Pie

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (3)

With a gingersnap crust and three different kinds of ginger in the pie itself, this spicy take on pumpkin pie is a surefire gingerbread lover's dream.

Get the recipe.

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2

Gingerbread Cheesecake With Pecan-Graham Crust

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (5)

A gingerbread cheesecake has our names written all over it.

Get the recipe.

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3

Gingerbread Pear Loaf

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (7)

You can dress up a loaf pan with a strip of parchment paper, tinsel, and vintage ornaments to turn it into a lovely Christmas food gift.

Get the recipe.

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4

Gingerbread Eggnog

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (9)

Eggnog fans and gingerbread lovers can agree this Christmas co*cktail is downright delicious.

Get the recipe.

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5

Gingerbread-Chocolate Chunk No-Churn Ice Cream

Celebrating Christmas somewhere warm? Cool off after dinner with this gingerbread no-churn ice cream.

Get the recipe.

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6

Gingerbread Rolls

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (13)

You could make these gingerbread rolls for your neighbors...or you could just eat them yourself. (No judgement.)

Get the recipe.

shop instant-read thermometers

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7

Mini Gingerbread Bundt Cakes

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (15)

These sweet, bite-sized treats are cute as can be, and perfect for dessert or a snack!

Get the recipe at Brown Sugar.

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8

Gingerbread Souffle with Maple Creme Anglaise

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (17)

Possibly the only thing tastier than gingerbread is maple, and this rich, impressive, and sneakily easy-to-make dessert has both, plus a whole bunch of cream! What's not to love?

Get the recipe at Brown Sugar.

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9

Butterscotch Gingerbread Trifle

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (19)

The only thing better than gingerbread trifle is gingerbread trifle with butterscotch in it.

Get the recipe at The Gold Lining Girl.

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10

Chocolate Chunk Gingerbread Cookies

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (21)

Santa will go nuts for these gingerbread cookies.

Get the recipe at The Food Charlatan.

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11

No Bake Gingerbread Cream Pie

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (23)

Save your precious oven space for cookies, casseroles, and other festive foods this holiday season by whipping up a pan of this rich no-bake pie.

Get the recipe at Homemade in the Kitchen.

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12

Gingerbread Boy Granola

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (25)

Snap out of your snack time rut with this crunchy and sweet granola.

Get the recipe at Half Baked Harvest.

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13

Gingerbread Cookies with Eggnog Icing

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (27)

You better double—or even triple!—this recipe because these eggnog-flavored treats are going to fly off the plate.

Get the recipe at Life, Love, and Sugar.

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14

Gingerbread Swirl Fudge

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (29)

This flavorful fudge will melt in your mouth just like your favorite molasses cookies.

Get the recipe at Sally's Baking Addiction.

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15

Gingerbread Brownies with Eggnog Cream Cheese Frosting

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (31)

Enjoy the flavors of three delicious treats—gingerbread cookies, brownies, and eggnog—in one Christmas dessert with this easy recipe.

Get the recipe at Carlsbad Cravings.

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16

Gingerbread Cheesecake

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (33)

A molasses mousse topping perfectly complements this Christmas cheesecake's gingerbread filling and cookie accents.

Get the recipe at Life, Love, and Sugar.

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17

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Caramele Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (35)

You can choose to make this caramel and gingerbread combo in either cupcake or cake form–or both if you've got a large crowd to feed this Christmas!

Get the recipe at Half Baked Harvest.

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18

Gingerbread Poke Cake

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (37)

This buttermilk and gingerbread Christmas cake gets extra flavor from sweetened condensed milk, plus cinnamon, caramel sauce, and gingerbread PEEPS, all of which are layered on top.

Get the recipe at Something Swanky.

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19

Nutella-Stuffed Gingerbread Deep Dish Cookie

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (39)

In every bite of this deep dish cookie you'll taste rich Nutella, spicy gingerbread, and sweet molasses.

Get the recipe Cafe Delites.

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20

Homemade Gingerbread Loaf

Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (41)

Drizzle this Christmas dessert loaf with a simple vanilla glaze and sprinkle some cranberries on top before serving with coffee or tea.

Get the recipe at She Wears Many Hats.

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Forget Gingerbread Men — This Year Make One of These Astounding Gingerbread Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why are my gingerbread men spreading? ›

Add the right amount of flour to the cookie dough, when making it. Or add some extra flour to the cookie dough, after the first pan of cookies spread. They spread because they don't have enough flour. Once they have cooled awhile on a rack, or on a towel, put the cookies into a cookie jar, with a slice of bread.

What makes gingerbread hard? ›

Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.” Cookbook author and ”Great American Baking Show” winner Vallery Lomas likes a gingerbread cookie that's packed with flavor. “I want to taste a lot of the spices ― especially ginger,” she said.

How do you get gingerbread to hold its shape? ›

Key Ingredients in Gingerbread Cookies

Because of the added sticky sweetener (molasses), I add a little more flour to help soak it all up. Just like when we are making pinwheel cookies, a bit of extra flour helps the cookies can keep their shape.

How long does homemade gingerbread last? ›

It will stay fresh at room temperature for up to five days and you can freeze it too, so you can make it ahead of time. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Once cooled, decorate your gingerbread with icing, lollies and Christmas decorations.

Why are my gingerbread men so hard? ›

Some gingerbread recipes require some time to soften after baking because they are initially firm. Gingerbread is made harder by molasses and honey, but it becomes softer when water is absorbed by the sugar.

What are the three types of gingerbread? ›

The three distinct types of gingerbread are brown gingerbread, wafer-based gingerbread and honey gingerbread.
  • BROWN GINGERBREAD.
  • WAFER GINGERBREAD.
  • HONEY GINGERBREAD.

Why are my gingerbread men soft? ›

That if you just change the golden syrup for molasses two things happen first the gingerbread isn't as pleasant plus its seems to dry more softer. If you add more flour to the golden syrup recipe then it does dry harder but when it comes out of the fridge it is harder to handle you have to kneed it for a bit.

Can I use golden syrup instead of molasses? ›

Golden Syrup

With its golden, amber color, it is lighter than molasses, though the two are similar in their thickness. Golden syrup also a liquid sweetener, so 1 cup of golden syrup can replace 1 cup of molasses. Golden syrup has a unique flavor, so it may alter the flavor of your recipe slightly.

How do you keep gingerbread from falling down? ›

Just melt the sugar in a pan over low heat. You want to allow it to turn brown, but make sure not to burn it (otherwise it won't taste so great). Then take your gingerbread house pieces, dip the edges in melted sugar and hold them together for a few seconds. That's it!

Should gingerbread be soft or crunchy? ›

Gingerbread cookies should be soft. They should be supple. They should bend to your teeth before the cookie skin breaks and the crumbs fall all over you. They should retain a bit of elasticity, and maybe you can even leave your fingerprints on the cookie if you hold them too hard because you're just that excited.

Why does my gingerbread fall? ›

Bicarbonate of soda is an extremely active raising agent and if you add too much then the gingerbread will rise up a lot during baking, then sink back fairly dramatically. If the surface of the gingerbread is wrinkled then this is also a sign that there was too much bicarbonate of soda.

Can gingerbread go bad? ›

The general rule of thumb is a couple of weeks. It depends how its prepared and if you used a lot of icing. Also, gingerbread like any other bread turns stale quite fast. Eating it after 1–2 week with tea shouldn't be a problem.

Can gingerbread dough go bad? ›

It's not that the dough “goes bad”. The ingredients can be stored for a long time. But depending on the recipe, some doughs dry out too much to be used. Most cookie doughs can be frozen.

Do gingerbread cookies go bad? ›

If they emit an off or sour smell, it's best to throw them away. Another telling sign is the texture. If your gingerbread cookies are soft and not crisp, they've likely become stale and while not harmful to eat, their quality is significantly degraded. Always store gingerbread cookies in a cool, dry place.

Why are my gingerbread cookies spreading so much? ›

Baking cookies in a too-cool oven will cause the fat to melt before your cookies set up, leading to spreading,” Dawn says. Grab an oven thermometer the next time you're in the grocery store so you can be sure your oven is at the correct temperature.

How do you keep cut out cookies from spreading? ›

Chill the cookies after cutting them out and placing them on a parchment lined baking tray. If the butter in the dough is hard when it goes into the oven, the cookies will spread less.

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