These soft-baked Gingerbread Latte Cookies with an espresso glaze are as warm and comforting as the classic drink. Warmly spiced, delightfully chewy, and the best sweet treat for winter!
Craving more vegan holiday cookies? Give these Iced Vegan Oatmeal Cookies, Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, Vegan Shortbread Cookies, and The Best Vegan Pumpkin Cookies a try as well.
A gingerbread latte is a seasonal drink and the inspiration for these vegan Gingerbread Latte Cookies! From the comforting gingerbread spices to the molasses flavors to the sweet glaze on top, these cookies have everything you love about the drink. Plus, they’re easy to make with simple plant-based baking staples and take 30 minutes to prep and bake.
Why you’ll love these vegan gingerbread latte cookies
- They taste like a gingerbread latte! Just like a gingerbread latte, these cookies are spiced with classic gingerbread cookie spices and infused with espresso for a hint of caffeine.
- Soft and chewy – These soft-baked cookies are as delightfully chewy as my Vegan Ginger Cookies and Ginger Crinkle Cookies.
- Simple espresso icing – A drizzle of the easy, 4-ingredient espresso glaze is the perfect finishing touch on these latte-inspired cookies. For an easy alternative, melt some vegan white chocolate and drizzle it over the cookies instead.
How to make gingerbread latte cookies
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Use an electric mixer to beat the vegan butter, brown sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla together in a large bowl until creamy. Next, beat in the molasses until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix until combined.
Add about 1 cup of granulated sugar to a small bowl for rolling.
Use your hands to roll pieces of the dough into balls, then roll each ball in the granulated sugar to coat the outside. Place the sugar-coated cookie dough balls on prepared baking sheets and bake until the cookies begin to crack on top.
The cookies will look very soft when they’re done baking but they’ll firm up a lot as they cool. If you prefer crispy cookies, bake them for 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Set the cookies aside to cool while you whisk the icing ingredients together in a small bowl.
Is the icing too runny? Whisk in a little more powdered sugar to thicken the consistency. Is it too thick? Stir in a splash of milk until it’s thinned to your liking.
Drizzle the espresso glaze over the cooled cookies and set them aside until the icing hardens. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
You should be able to find espresso powder in the baking aisle of most major grocery stores. You can also buy it online.
An equal amount of finely ground instant coffee will work just as well. Regular ground coffee will not work.
Yes, you can substitute the espresso in the glaze with an equal amount of strongly brewed coffee.
I haven’t tested these cookies with anything other than all-purpose flour but a good-quality gluten-free flour blend, such as Better Batter brand or King Arthur 1:1 flour, should work as a substitute.
Yes! Once the dough is ready, wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the dough or cookie dough balls (without the sugar coating) for up to 1 month.
Allow the chilled dough to soften slightly before rolling the dough balls and baking. The frozen cookie dough balls can be baked from frozen, but add an extra 1 to 3 minutes to the baking time.
The baked and cooled cookies will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature or up to 6 months in the freezer. Store them in an airtight container to help them stay soft and chewy.
Gingerbread Latte Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- more sugar, optional for rolling cookies in
Espresso Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 shot espresso, cooled or drip coffee
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons plant milk soy, oat, or other
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the softened vegan butter, brown sugar, espresso powder and vanilla together until creamy. Now add the molasses and beat in until smooth. Scrape the sides as needed with a spatula.
- Add the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix until combined. Place about a cup of granulated sugar in a bowl (this is optional, for rolling).
- Scoop out about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough, roll into a ball, then roll each ball in the sugar until completely coated (or not, rolling in sugar is optional).
- Place on the prepared baking sheets, and bake for 11-12 minutes, until they begin to crack on top. They will look very soft, but they firm up a lot as they cool. If you over bake, they will be crispy.
- Let cool on the pans for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Make the espresso glaze: Whisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth and creamy. If it's too runny, add additional powdered sugar to thicken. If too thick, add a bit of milk.
- Drizzle glaze onto the cookies and let set for 10-20 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Gluten free – A quality gluten free flour mix should work well here. I like Better Batter, King Arthur Measure for Measure or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1.
- If you don’t have espresso powder, instant coffee will work okay.
- You can also use strong drip (or french press) instead of cooled espresso if you don’t have it.
