Holidays & Occasions Christmas Christmas Recipes 12 Gingerbread Recipes to Keep You Feeling Festive By Marissa Wu Marissa Wu Marissa Wu is a writer with a love for home, food, travel, and art stories. She holds a journalism degree from Boston University. When not editing and producing articles or updating the homepage, she's trying new recipes, jolting along in her manual transmission car, Fitz; hammering out a manuscript on her 1930s Royal Aristocrat typewriter, Georgie; and making film photographs with her Rolleiflex, Cecil. She's currently an Associate SEO Editor for PureWow. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Jennifer Davick Gingerbread is practically synonymous with December. Whether that means dusting off your gingerbread cookie recipe card or thumbing through gingerbread house kits on the shelves at the store, the appearance of gingerbread is a universal signal that Christmas is near. Is there any better way to spread a little holiday cheer than filling homes and cookie tins with the warm, fragrant scent of clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger? Brown sugar and molasses are essential as well. We've compiled a list of fun bakes from an easy gingerbread recipe for houses and people to grown-up treats like gingerbread biscotti and martinis. After all, who said we couldn't have it as a nightcap, too? Whatever way you choose to indulge in the classic Christmas flavor, make sure to spread the joy. We're certain Santa will appreciate a taste of these treats—including that Gingerbread Martini. 01 of 12 Gingerbread Biscotti Photographer: Frederick Hardy II, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Recipe: Gingerbread Biscotti Anyone who's ever enjoyed this crisp Italian cookie knows how lovely it is dunked in hot coffee. Let your guests start their Christmas morning with our crunchy Gingerbread Biscotti. Trust us, you'll want to make extras. 02 of 12 Gingerbread Martini Photographer: Frederick Hardy II, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Recipe: Gingerbread Martini Nightcap, anyone? These elegant martinis are great as a pre-dinner holiday drink or with dessert. The only imperative is that they appear on your menu. 03 of 12 Chocolate Gingerbread Wreath Cookies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Chocolate Gingerbread Wreath Cookies Stuff these cookies into your Christmas tins and prepare for nothing but squeals of delight over how cute they are. 04 of 12 Chocolate-Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies Joy Howard Recipe: Chocolate-Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies Why bring regular old sugar cookies to the cookie swap when you can bring spiced—and iced—gingerbread instead? 05 of 12 Gingerbread Brownies with Eggnog Frosting The Home Edit Recipe: Gingerbread Brownies with Eggnog Frosting It's a holiday duo you can't turn down. Gingerbread spice meets creamy eggnog icing in a dessert that's sure to wow at Christmas Eve dinner. 06 of 12 Gingerbread Muffins Micah A. Leal Recipe: Gingerbread Muffins We'll be the first to admit that these definitely lean into the cupcake category. But, serve without icing and it's a passable breakfast treat. Save the frosting for later when you offer them as cupcakes in the afternoon. 07 of 12 Gingerbread Cake with Stout Buttercream William Dickey Recipe: Gingerbread Cake with Stout Buttercream Does the list of spices make you weary of trying gingerbread at home? Lucky you, this recipe starts with a box of gingerbread cake mix. All you need to do is bring the beer and frosting finishes. 08 of 12 Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Recipe Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Recipe Every home baker needs a solid, old-fashioned recipe for gingerbread in their arsenal. Here's our humble offering—and we think it's pretty great, if we do say so ourselves. 09 of 12 Gingerbread Cake Roll with Eggnog Cream Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Gingerbread Cake Roll with Eggnog Cream Fresh ginger, bourbon, and molasses make this dark and spicy gingerbread cake the ideal complement to the creamy eggnog filling. Go on, cut a second slice. And cut us one, too, while you're at it. 10 of 12 Chocolate-Gingerbread-Toffee Cake Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell Recipe: Chocolate-Gingerbread-Toffee Cake Ginger whipped cream, silky ganache, and toffee bits combine into a delightful and impressive multi-layer cake that won't last long, no matter how full everyone is. As they say, there's always room for dessert. 11 of 12 Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies Jennifer Davick Recipe: Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies Let it snow with these snowflakes. The edible ones are always the best and here, you have a choice between buttermilk frosting and royal icing. Take your pick. 12 of 12 Classic Gingerbread Cookies Sheri Giblin; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey; Prop Styling: Amy Stone Recipe: Gingerbread Cookies If you're making your gingerbread house from scratch this year, here's the recipe that'll make it happen. If you plan on eating it, too, make sure you use bold molasses for extra flavor. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit