15 Gingerbread Recipes to Bake All Holiday Season Celebrate the flavors of gingerbread in all its forms, from classic cookies and elegant cakes to a showstopping trifle and even a holiday margarita. By Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann is an editor, baker, and confectioner with more than 15 years of experience in content creation, recipe development, and pastry production. She's obsessed with the fine details and ingredients that take dishes from tasty to outright otherworldly. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on December 18, 2025 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Eva Kolenko / Food Styling by Natalie Drobny / Prop Styling by Genesis Vallejo / Gingerbread Styling by Amy Hatwig There's sweet, warm, spiced magic in combining ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and molasses to make gingerbread in any of its forms. We've got plenty of ideas for indulging your love for gingerbread this winter, from decorative cookies to an eye-catching trifle, plus the perfect cake for a holiday brunch, a very merry margarita, and more. Keep all of your recipes at your fingertips. With the MyRecipes app you can easily save and organize your favorites from anywhere, including Instagram and TikTok, in one convenient place. Get the free app. 01 of 15 Spiced Ginger Cookies Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Props Styling Natalie Ghazali Freshly ground white pepper rounds out the usual spice profile of ginger, cinnamon, and allspice in these golden drop cookies from Chicago pastry chef Elissa Narrow. They're rolled in turbinado sugar for a satisfying crunch. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 15 Gingerbread House Eva Kolenko / Food Styling by Natalie Drobny / Prop Styling by Genesis Vallejo / Gingerbread Styling by Amy Hatwig This recipe makes one large gingerbread house or five to seven smaller ones for a village. The secret behind the flavor is an all-butter gingerbread and the streamlined, stylish design is a treat. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 15 Spiced Gingerbread Cookies Food & Wine / Photo by Fred Hardy Jr. / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling Made wonderfully zingy with a touch of black pepper, these gingerbread cookies from baker Julianne Jones have a tender and cakey texture, yet they’re sturdy enough to decorate. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 15 Gingerbread Latte Eva Kolenko F&W's Lucy Simon emulates the warming spiced notes of freshly baked gingerbread by flavoring this hot espresso drink with cinnamon, molasses, and ground ginger. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 15 Gingerbread Ice Box Cake Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors-Hall / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood This no-bake cake layers pumpkin-spiced whipped cream with deeply spiced gingersnaps, which soften into plush, cake-like tiers as the dessert chills. The lightly sweetened cream highlights the cookies’ molasses and warm spice, creating a flavor reminiscent of a pumpkin spice latte. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 15 Marranitos Linda Xiao / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley A Mexican bakery favorite, these soft, chewy cookies are spiced with ginger and called marranitos, puerquitos, or cochinitos because they're shaped like little pigs. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 15 Ginger Spice Cake Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Nashville baker Jennifer Latham's tender gingerbread cake comes together easily in the blender. She mixes dark molasses into the batter and garnishes each slice with candied ginger and pomegranate to make the seasonal staple extra special. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 15 Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies Ditte Isager A hybrid of spicy gingerbread and chocolate, these cookies from Brooklyn's Baked are made from a supple dough that's a dream to work with. Cut them into an assortment of fanciful shapes and decorate them as you please. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 15 Gingerbread and White Chocolate Mousse Trifle Chris Court Ideal for plated holiday feasts, this seasonal trifle contains three perfect desserts in one: velvety white chocolate mousse, warmly spiced gingerbread, and sweet-tart pomegranate caramel. Guests will ooh and aah at each distinct layer. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 15 Gingerbread with Pears David De Vleeschauwer This cake is extra moist and flavorful thanks to diced Bartlett pears folded into the batter. A dusting of powdered sugar dresses it up for any occasion. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 15 Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing Lucy Schaeffer Every home baker needs a reliable gingerbread cookie recipe in their back pocket, and this one fits the bill. Chef Michael Mina says his recipe is ideal for decorating with kids. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 15 Gingerbread Roll with Cinnamon Cream Tina Rupp A riff on a bûche de Noël, this inventive recipe from longtime pastry chef Jennifer Giblin combines tender ginger cake with a tangy cream cheese filling. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 15 Pain d'Épices Oddur Thorisson This hearty, honey-sweetened gingerbread loaf from French cook and writer Mimi Thorisson is made extra flavorful with the addition of buckwheat flour and a pinch of saffron. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 15 Gingerbread Margarita Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Made with a spiced orange syrup, this winterized Margarita has a warm, cozy, cake-spice panache that's perfect for holiday parties. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 15 Lebkuchen Rick Poon These delicately spiced ginger cookies are sold at German Christmas markets in various shapes and with an array of colorful decorations; this simplified recipe produces drop cookies that are topped with a powdered sugar glaze. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food Holidays & Occasions Holidays Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit