You know that feeling when the holidays roll around and the air smells like cinnamon, and your coffee suddenly comes with gingerbread syrup and whipped cream? That’s exactly what inspired these Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes.

These little festive treats are festive, fun, and best of all super easy to make.

Why You’ll Love These Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes

They’re festive AF
Each cupcake is topped with a mini marshmallow “mug” of latte, complete with a candy cane handle and a swirl of chocolate frosting. It’s almost too cute to eat… almost.
Quick and doable
This recipe starts with a boxed gingerbread mix (no shame here!), and the decorating is simple enough that your kids can jump in and help or at least lick the frosting bowl.
Perfect for parties
They’re guaranteed to impress at any holiday gathering cookie exchanges, office shindigs, classroom parties, or just a sweet treat for a movie night at home.
Customizable
Not a fan of boxed mix? Totally fine. Sub in your favorite homemade gingerbread cupcake recipe if you’ve got one in your holiday arsenal. Either way, you’re golden.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need to whip up these cozy little cupcakes:

Ingredients

1 box gingerbread mix, plus whatever ingredients it calls for (usually eggs, water, and oil)
Vanilla buttercream (piped into a 1M star tip bag)
Chocolate buttercream (piped into a bag with a small tip or just a snipped corner)
Marshmallows, one per cupcake
Candy canes, one per cupcake
Holiday-themed sprinkles (go wild snowflakes, stars, gingerbread men, whatever makes your heart happy)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Bake Your Cupcakes

Prepare the gingerbread mix according to the box (or your favorite recipe), and bake those babies up. Let them cool completely frosting + warm cupcakes = a melty mess, and not the good kind.

Pro tip: While they’re baking, it’s the perfect time to unwrap your candy canes, prep your frosting bags, and try not to eat all the marshmallows.

2. Make the Candy Cane Mug Handles

Break off the hooked end of each candy cane to match the height of a marshmallow. You’ll be using these as tiny mug handles. It sounds fiddly, but it’s surprisingly satisfying. If it takes a couple tries to get the right size without snapping them in half don’t worry, same here.

3. Frost the Cupcakes

Use the vanilla buttercream and pipe a flat swirl on top of each cupcake. This gives you a nice snowy base and a little cushy spot for your marshmallow mugs to rest on.

Then shake on some holiday-themed sprinkles.

4. Make the Marshmallow Mugs

Now the fun part: the tiny mug magic. Take each marshmallow and gently poke the straight end of the broken candy cane into the side. Boom handle attached!

If the candy cane is a little wobbly, that’s okay. These mugs are meant to look homemade!

5. Decorate the Marshmallow Mugs

Using a toothpick, dab a teeny-tiny bit of vanilla buttercream onto the side or top of the marshmallow. That’s your “glue” for the sprinkles. Press on a little sprinkle decoration maybe a snowflake or a star to make it look like a cozy holiday mug you’d find at a winter market.

6. Assemble the Cupcakes

Place one marshmallow mug in the center of each cupcake. It’ll look like it’s resting on a little bed of snow.

Now, grab that chocolate buttercream bag and gently pipe a swirl on top of the marshmallow. This is your “latte,” so leave a little border of the marshmallow showing, just like the rim of a real mug. You can even go fancy and add a tiny swirl to mimic latte art if you’re feeling extra.

7. Serve, Share, and Watch the Smiles Roll In

That’s it! Your Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes are ready to serve. They’re festive, they’re fun, and they’re the perfect little mix of flavor and flair. Pop them on a tray, set them out at your next party, or wrap them up in cute boxes for teacher gifts or neighbor treats.

And hey, if your candy cane handle is crooked or your marshmallow mug tips over so what? That’s part of the charm. These aren’t Pinterest-perfect cupcakes. They’re your cupcakes, made with love, laughter, and probably a little chaos. Just the way family memories should be.

Tips & Variations

Want extra spice? Add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg to your vanilla frosting.
Not into coffee? No worries the “latte” is just chocolate buttercream. If you want a mocha vibe, you could mix in a little instant espresso powder for grown-up flavor.
Make it a decorating party! Set up a little station with marshmallows, candy canes, and sprinkles and let everyone build their own. It’s messy but magical.

Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes are everything we love about the holidays sweet, festive, and made to share. They’re simple enough to whip up on a weeknight but cute enough to impress a crowd. And honestly, isn’t that the best kind of recipe?

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