Description
These Ginger Cream Cookies with Brown Sugar Buttercream combine soft, spiced ginger cookies with a rich, creamy brown sugar frosting for a perfect holiday treat or anytime indulgence. The cookies have warm flavors of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, while the buttery frosting adds a luscious, sweet finish.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies:
- ¾ cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup granulated white sugar, plus more for rolling (approximately ⅓ cup more)
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup unsulfured molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (315 g), spooned and leveled
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp sea salt
For the Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup salted butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and both the brown and granulated sugars until combined. Add the vanilla, egg, and molasses and mix thoroughly until fully incorporated.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and baking soda until evenly mixed. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Chill the dough covered for at least 30 minutes, ideally 1 to 2 hours, or up to 3 days. If chilling longer than two hours, allow the dough to come to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before scooping.
- Preheat Oven: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Form and Bake Cookies: Roll the dough into approximately 1 ½ inch balls or use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop. Toss each ball in granulated sugar to coat thoroughly. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just barely browned; the centers may appear slightly underbaked but will set as they cool.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make Buttercream Frosting: In a medium bowl, cream the salted butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract and beat for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is creamy and the brown sugar is mostly dissolved.
- Add Sugar and Cream: Gradually add the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition, until the frosting reaches the desired thickness. Add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Frost Cookies: Pipe or spread the buttercream evenly over completely cooled cookies. Decorate with sprinkles if desired, or sandwich two cookies together to make ginger cream pies.
- Store: Store frosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for about 1 week. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature before serving to restore chewiness.
Notes
- Nutrition information is an estimate based on a cookie with heavy piped frosting and is for reference only.
- Chilling the dough enhances flavor and texture but allow dough to warm slightly before baking if chilled more than 2 hours.
- Ensure cookies are fully cooled before frosting to prevent melting the buttercream.
- For best texture, consume cookies within a week if refrigerated.
- You can customize by adding sprinkles or using different spices for variation.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie with frosting
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
