Ginger Snap Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Dec 03, 2012, Updated Sep 07, 2021
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Once December 1 arrives, I think it’s safe to start baking cookies. I also think it’s safe to start wearing ugly Christmas sweaters. Every day. Why not?
Christmas sweaters remind me of my elementary school teachers. And ornament earrings. I have a pair, too.
So, did you put up your Christmas Tree, yet? Did you jazz it up with huge ornaments, ribbons, and bows, or did you keep it traditional? I kept it traditional this time. I’m thinking about adding some tinsel to it, too. Bringing back the 80’s.
After I put up the Christmas Tree, I had to start baking some cookies just so I could finally feel like the Holiday Season has begun. It’s 60 degrees out. Not so Christmassy now is it? I know I’ll cry once it drops to 20 degrees, but for now I’m complaining about 60-degree weather in December.
Ginger Snap Cookies are at the top of my list for Holiday Cookies; molasses, cinnamon, ginger… Winter in a bite. You add some frosting on top and I’m in love.
The frosting I used for these was the same frosting I used for the Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies. I could not stop spooning it into my mouth. I was double-fisting – cookie in one hand, frosting in the other… life is goooooood.
Just a note: The cookies will soften a bit after adding the frosting. Your grandmother and her Fixodent will thank you.
ENJOY!
Reminder: You have until 11:59 pm CST tonight to enter my giveaway for a Rachael Ray Roaster with Rack.
Cookies Adapted from Joy of Baking
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Ginger Snap Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 1/2 sticks of butter, , room temperature
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- Sugar for rolling
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, (half package), room temperature
- 1 stick butter
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon lemon extract
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add in the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract; mix until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
- Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the sugar in a bowl.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls.
- Roll the balls in the sugar.
- Place the dough balls on baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass.
- Bake cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until dry and firm on top.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- Place the cream cheese and the butter in a mixing bowl.
- Beat until creamy.
- Gradually add in the powdered sugar; beat until smooth, about 4 minutes.
- Pour in the vanilla extract and lemon extract; continue to mix until well incorporated.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Ugly holiday sweaters rule! (Especially when they’re in vest form.) It’s fun to wear them out in public- along with peg-leg, acid-washed jeans and white high-tops. (My friends love me!)
And I love these cookies!! Ginger + cream cheese= Yum!
Gingery cookies are the best, and with cream cheese frosting on top, dangerous!! These look divine:-). No decorating at our house yet, but we have half a gingerbread house decorated…we ran out of frosting though thanks to my tasters 🙂
Yay for Christmas cookies! I’m loving that lemon frosting!
I think perhaps you should have added just a smidge more frosting on top of those suckers, lol. Love them.
-Gina-
i love your philosophy on december 1st, haha! agree with all of those. these look SO good!!!
Those piles of frosting on that ginger cookie?! Dreamy!!
These cookies look great with that frosting. Cookies are always better with frosting 🙂 My trees (yes, trees) are up, but one is sad without ornaments for the time. It is warm here too, but I am not complaining in the slightest. I hope by next Christmas I am celebrating in California.
I would love to put on an ugly Christmas sweater and sit down with a few of your cookies. Lemon and ginger are so great together. Thanks for sharing:)
No tree up yet. I planned for us to do it this weekend, but we were so, so busy there just wasn’t time. Considering the size of the bag of candy Dudette collected at the parade yesterday, I think she doesn’t mind.
Also, I’m not wearing a Christmas sweater, but do have on a Christmas-decorated denim shirt. Yes, I agree, tacky is fabulous if it’s Christmas. 🙂
Your cookies look amazing and sound delicious. I love ginger cookies and adore cream cheese. I’m in!
Mmmm! These look fabulous! And totally Christmasy for the non-Christmasy weather (welcome to MY world.)
Our tree is already up, in full regalia. We do themes. This year, it’s Asia 🙂