These Gingerbread Bites with Cream Cheese Glaze are essentially little mini muffin-sized bites of soft, perfectly spiced gingerbread cake. They’re light and cakey, incredibly poppable, and topped with a quick cream cheese glaze that brings everything together. Cozy, festive, and perfect for the holidays, they’re a must-add to your winter baking list!
These gingerbread bites are the kind of cozy, festive dessert I love baking during the colder months! They’re special enough for the holidays, but simple enough to make anytime you’re craving something warm and spiced.
Soft and tender with classic gingerbread flavor, they’re finished with a quick cream cheese glaze that adds just the right touch of sweetness. Because they’re bite-sized, they’re perfect when you want a little something after a rich holiday meal or a festive treat to enjoy with your coffee during the busy days of December.
If you loved my pumpkin bites with brown butter glaze, you’re going to adore these — easy to make, quick to bake, and full of cozy, seasonal flavor.
Why You’ll Love These Gingerbread Bites
Perfectly balanced gingerbread flavor: A cozy blend of warming spices gives these bites classic gingerbread flavor without any one spice overpowering the others. December in a bite!
Light, cakey texture: These are soft and tender, making them easy to enjoy one (or five) at a time. 😉
Bite-sized and easy to serve: Baked in mini muffin tins, they’re adorable and ideal for holiday entertaining or snacking.
Quick cream cheese glaze: The simple glaze adds a subtle tangy sweetness and comes together in literally seconds.
Whether you’re adding them to a holiday dessert spread or enjoying one alongside your afternoon coffee or tea, these gingerbread bites are an easy, cozy treat you’ll want to make all winter long.
Ingredient Highlights
Molasses and dark brown sugar give these gingerbread bites their deep, classic flavor while keeping them perfectly moist and tender.
A cozy blend of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg creates that familiar gingerbread warmth, with no single spice overpowering the others.
Greek yogurt helps keep the crumb light and cakey, adding just the right amount of tenderness.
The cream cheese glaze adds a subtle tangy sweetness that balances the spices beautifully — and comes together in just minutes.
Here’s a quick rundown on how to make these perfect little gingerbread bites:
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. Flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt!
- …And the wet ingredients. An egg and an egg yolk, dark brown sugar, vegetable oil, molasses, plain Greek yogurt, and vanilla.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, folding together with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Grease a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray. Drop the batter into the tins using a cookie scoop, until they are 3/4 full.
- Bake. 350℉ for 11 minutes or until they are just set and slightly spring back when you press on the tops. Do not over-bake these, they can dry out quickly!
- Make the glaze. Whisk together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, half and half, and salt until smooth and pourable. If the glaze seems thick, add additional half and half a teaspoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
- Cool and glaze! Once the bites have cooled completely on a cooling rack, dip them in the glaze and let set for 30 minutes or so.
If you love these gingerbread bites, you will also love:
Pumpkin Bites with Brown Butter Glaze
Chewy Tahini Gingersnaps with Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt
Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Bread with Chai Sugar
Brown Butter Chai Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
Pear Ginger Crisp
Lemon Pistachio Muffins
And don’t forget to share a photo on Instagram and tag me @spicesinmydna if you make this recipe! Nothing makes me happier than seeing what you create in the kitchen!
Gingerbread Bites with Cream Cheese Glaze
These Gingerbread Bites with Cream Cheese Glaze are essentially little mini muffin-sized bites of soft, perfectly spiced gingerbread cake. They’re light and cakey, incredibly poppable, and topped with a quick cream cheese glaze that brings everything together. Cozy, festive, and perfect for the holidays, they’re a must-add to your winter baking list!
Ingredients
For the gingerbread bites
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the cream cheese glaze
- 1 ounce cream cheese (from a block), softened to room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons half and half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dark brown sugar, vegetable oil, Greek yogurt, egg and egg yolk, molasses, and vanilla extract, whisking until smooth and combined.
In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, folding together with a rubber spatula until just combined.
Using a 1 1/2 inch cookie scoop, drop the batter into the mini muffin tins - you want them to be 3/4 the way full. Bake for 11 minutes until gingerbread bites are set, and spring back when you press on the tops. Let the bites cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the tins and let cool the remainder of the way on a cooling rack. DO NOT overbake, these can dry out really quickly!
Make the cream cheese glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, half and half (start with 2 tablespoons), vanilla, and salt. You want a smooth, pourable glaze consistency. If it seems too thick, add 1 teaspoon of half and half at a time until the glaze reaches the right consistency.
Dip the cooled gingerbread bites in the glaze, then let sit on a wire rack to set. Once the glaze has set, enjoy immediately! (This step is totally optional, but you can sprinkle the tops of the bites with a pinch of cinnamon for a little extra flavor and prettiness!)
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