20 ways to use gingerbread this season

Pumpkin cheesecake muffins are all the rage in the fall, but once we pass mid-November, it’s time to swap them for spicy gingerbread muffins. Optional toppings include streusel, icing, or buttermilk frosting.

If you’re a fan of cookies and cream ice cream, you’ll love this fun twist! In a bowl, whip molasses, cream, vanilla extract, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg. Then, add milk until everything is well-mixed. Transfer to an ice cream mixer and turn for about 15 minutes, adding gingerbread cookies during the last few. Finally, transfer to a container and freeze for at least two hours.

Make a batch of gingerbread dough and roll it out on a large cutting board. Cut it into four sections. Then, add a filling of your choice, Nutella, melted white chocolate, cinnamon, etc. Roll each rectangle into a log, pinch well, and bake for 20 minutes. Drizzle icing and sprinkles while still warm.

Starbucks isn’t the only place you’ll find amazing holiday drinks! If you gather the right ingredients, you can make your own. Gingerbread lattes are easy; just add gingerbread syrup to the bottom of your cup, add an espresso shot or two, and then top with frothed milk and nutmeg sprinkled on top.

Looking for something festive and sweet for holiday-season breakfast? Make a classic loaf cake but add extra spices: nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice. Finish with a light icing made from powdered sugar.

This is a bit of a controversial idea — combining two of people’s favorite things usually is — but trust us. If you love pumpkin pie and enjoy gingerbread, this is the dessert for you. Start with the crust, which is essentially a giant gingersnap cookie. Then, add ginger (both ground and chopped whole) and cinnamon to a regular pumpkin filling.

You'll love this recipe if you love a good molasses cookie. It’s a simple one, just combine flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg) into a bowl. Separately mix molasses and water. Then add butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well turned. Combine wet and dry ingredients and bake for about 30 minutes. Top with cheesecake frosting.

These are a fun twist on a classic dessert. Switch up the typical blondie (or brownie) on the dessert table by adding molasses, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Your desserts will come out the color of something in between a blondie and a brownie.

Now this is a fun one! Swap chocolate for gingersnaps or molasses cookies and cream cheese. Then, dip in your choice of chocolate and decorate with sprinkles.

Make regular thumbprint cookies, but add the necessary spices for that gingerbread flavor: cloves, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Fill with dulce de leche or jam filling instead of chocolate.

Mix molasses, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, and allspice into any waffle recipe. And voila, the perfect holiday breakfast.

Forget boozy hot chocolate, this is the new go-to holiday beverage. Mix vodka, gingerbread syrup, half-and-half, and cacao cream. Top with whipped cream and crumbled gingerbread cookies!

Holidayify your whoopie pie recipe! Add gingerbread spices and molasses to the cookie base and combine with an eggnog filling!

Add a bit of ginger and molasses to your next batch of scones to give them a tasty twist. Make sure to go heavier on the ginger rather than molasses so the treats aren’t weighed down.

Cheesecake is a great dessert, no matter the time of year. Make it even more fun by adding just a few more ingredients to make it even more festive. Pour molasses and sprinkle nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon to give it a light brown color and gingerbread flavor.

Cookie bars are popular among adults and children alike, and you can literally spice them up for wintertime. Make a normal cookie bar dough, add spices, then top with frosting and caramel or white chocolate swirl for the ultimate finish.

Fudge is a classic wintertime favorite, and it isn’t too hard to make, which is great. To make it gingerbread-tasting, add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, and use white chocolate, which pairs best with those flavors.

Gingerbread eggnog is a divisive drink; you either hate it or love it. However, if you want to convert eggnog-hesitant friends and family, try making it gingerbread flavored. All you need to add is stir in cinnamon sticks, grated nutmeg, whole cloves, and sliced ginger to the mix.

Banana bread is an ideal start to any day. However, to give it a fun holiday taste, add gingerbread spices and just a drizzle of molasses. Optional: Make an icing to drizzle over the top.

Who even likes oatmeal raisin anyway? Instead, trade dried grapes for cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger, and just a hint of molasses for a cookie that pairs perfectly with hot cocoa.