This recipe for Gingerbread Cupcakes with Christmas Comet Cookies is featured in the recently released Journey Back to Christmas e-book, written by Leigh Duncan, from Hallmark Publishing.
This recipe puts a modern twist on a holiday classic—gingerbread. The story features the appearance of a comet that hasn’t been seen for more than 70 years. Mystery, intrigue and romance, of course, follow.
This is one of a series of four e-books launched by Hallmark as companions to four of this year’s warm and inspiring Christmas movies. Each features a recipe for food referenced in the corresponding movie and e-book.
Click below to find recipes from the other three e-books, with links to the e-books on Amazon.
Heavenly Angel Food Cake with Vanilla Bean Crème Anglaise from A Heavenly Christmas
Snowflake Cherry Pie from Christmas in Homestead
Christmas Biscuits with Sugar Plum Jam from Love You Like Christmas
Recipe used with permission of Hallmark Publishing.
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookies
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, softened
- 1/2 cup Dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons each Ground ginger and cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon each Ground cloves and salt
- 1 Egg, large
- 1/2 cup Molasses
- 3 cups Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking powder
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 1 package (8 ounces) Cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, unsalted, softened
- 4 cups Powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Orange zest, grated (optional)
- As needed White royal icing in pastry bag
- 18 Gingerbread cupcakes, prepared from scratch or baking mix
- As needed Gold and white sparkling sugar sprinkles
Preparation
- 1 To prepare gingerbread cookies: cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy. Add spices, egg and molasses; mix to blend. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl; slowly add to mixing bowl on low speed until fully blended. Pat dough into two cookie dough disks. Cover and chill for one hour.
- 2 Preheat oven to 350F.
- 3 Roll 1 cookie dough disk out on a floured surface to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick, lifting and turning dough as you roll (reserve remaining cookie dough for another use). Cut out shapes with comet/shooting star-shaped cookie cutter. Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly light brown around outer edges. Cool.
- 4 To prepare frosting: combine cream cheese and butter in bowl of stand mixer and mix until fully blended. Slowly add powdered sugar until blended; add vanilla and orange zest and mix until smooth and creamy.
- 5 Pipe royal icing around outer edges of cookies, if desired.
- 6 Frost cupcakes with offset spatula or piping bag. Sprinkle sparkling sugar over frosting and top each cupcake with a gingerbread comet cookie.
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