Soft Ginger Christmas Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze

Soft Ginger Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze are the perfect holiday treat – soft, chewy, and packed with festive flavour. This easy Christmas cookie recipe combines orange, honey, molasses, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove for a warm, aromatic bake that fills your kitchen with cozy holiday fragrance.

Hello folks – happy Friday! I hope you all have had a wonderful week, and you are ready to enjoy your weekend. Any holiday baking?

Not for me this time. Unfortunately, last weekend my camera broke, and it was sent to the manufacturer. Luckily, we have had an extended warranty that would hopefully cover this. But that means no cooking for me – because what’s the point of cooking when I cannot use my camera, right?! Of course, I am exaggerating a bit. But I am taking a break from making festive recipes for the blog for the next few weeks.

Fortunately, I had prepared enough of holiday recipes for this season before the camera stopped working. And I also have a few recipes from last year. I am talking about these Soft Ginger Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze – it is your time to make an appearance!

Why You’ll Love These Soft Ginger Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze

• Amazing texture: Wonderfully soft and chewy with a texture similar to German Lebkuchen.
• Festive flavour: A cozy blend of orange, honey, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.
• Quick and easy: No mixer or chilling required — just melt, mix, and bake.
• Stays fresh: These cookies remain soft for days and even improve in flavour as they rest.
• Bright glaze: The orange-clove icing adds a zesty, aromatic finish that perfectly complements the spices.
• Customizable: Swap orange juice for orange liqueur like Triple Sec for a grown-up, citrusy twist.
• Holiday favourite: Perfect for Christmas cookie boxes, sharing with neighbours, or festive dessert trays.

Soft Ginger Orange Cookies: Flavour and Texture Profile

These Soft Ginger Orange Cookies are one of my long-time holiday favourites – I bake them every Christmas and they always vanish fast! Despite their impressive flavour, they’re wonderfully simple to make. No mixer, no chilling, just melt the butter, mix, and bake.

The texture is soft and pleasantly chewy, reminiscent of the classic German Lebkuchen. They stay tender for days and actually improve as they rest, developing an even deeper, more luxurious chew. (If you manage to keep them that long – they tend to disappear quickly!) For extra freshness, you can place a slice of apple in the container to help retain moisture.

Flavour-wise, these cookies are the perfect balance of warming spice and bright citrus. The rich molasses and honey create depth, while ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove bring cozy holiday warmth. The orange glaze adds a lovely zesty lift and subtle sweetness. For a grown-up twist, try using a splash of orange liqueur such as Triple Sec in the glaze – it enhances the citrus notes and gently offsets the sweetness for a beautifully balanced finish.

Ingredients You’ll Need for This Recipe

• Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and moisture for a soft, tender crumb. Melted butter also simplifies the process – no mixer required.
• Honey: Brings natural sweetness, a hint of floral depth, and helps keep the cookies chewy.
• Molasses: Deepens the flavour and colour, adding that signature gingerbread-style warmth.
• Brown Sugar: Enhances chewiness and adds subtle caramel undertones.
• Egg: Binds the dough and contributes to that soft, chewy texture.
• All-Purpose Flour: The structural base that keeps the cookies light yet satisfying.
• Baking Powder: Ensures the cookies rise slightly, staying soft rather than dense.
• Vanilla Extract: Balances and rounds out the spice flavours with smooth aromatic sweetness.
• Ground Ginger and Cinnamon: The key spices providing warmth and festive fragrance.
• Ground Clove and Nutmeg: Add depth and complexity, enhancing the ginger and orange notes.
• Orange Zest: Lifts the flavour with bright, citrusy freshness that perfectly complements the spices.
• Salt: A pinch balances the sweetness and sharpens the overall flavour.

For the Orange Clove Glaze:

• Orange Juice: Adds tangy brightness and helps create a smooth glaze.
• Icing (Confectioners’) Sugar: Forms a glossy, sweet coating that sets beautifully.
• Vanilla Bean or Extract: Adds a delicate aromatic note to the glaze.
• Ground Clove: A small pinch enhances the cookie’s warm spice profile and balances the citrus.

More Holiday Festive Cookies Recipes

Are you looking for more festive holiday cookies just like these Soft Ginger Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze? Be sure to check these ideas below:

• Chocolate Chestnut Shortbread Cookies – A Luxurious Christmas Bake
• Festive Cranberry Pecan Shortbread Cookies
• Candy Cane Shortbread Cookies with Mint Chocolate Chips
• Orange Clove Christmas Cookies – Festive Spiced Shortbread

I’d love for you to try these Soft Ginger Orange Cookies. If you give the recipe a go, please share your results in the comments, message me on Instagram, or post your photos with the hashtag #havocinthekitchen. I look forward to seeing your creations and hearing your thoughts!

Cheers!

Print

Soft Ginger Christmas Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

4.8 from 4 votes

Course: Cookies, Christmas, Christmas Cookies

These Soft Ginger Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze are easy to make, wonderfully chewy, and infused with cozy holiday spices and bright citrus notes.

Servings

18-24

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Cooling time

20

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (125 gr.) unsalted butter

• 2 tbsp. (40 gr.) honey

• 1 tbsp. (20 gr.) molasses (I used fancy)

• 2 tbsp. (25 gr.) brown sugar

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/2 to 1 tsp. ground ginger and cinnamon, each

• 1/4 tsp. ground clove and nutmeg, each

• zest of 1 orange

• a good pinch (about 1/2 tsp.) of salt

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 egg

• 1 1/2 cup (180 gr.) flour, may need a bit more for dusting

• Orange Clove Glaze (See Note):

• 1/4 cup (60 ml.) orange juice

• 1 1/2 cup (195 gr.) icing / confectioners’ sugar, may need a bit more

• 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• a good pinch of clove – adjust to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200-205 degrees C).
• Melt the butter over the low heat or using a microwave.
• In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, honey, and molasses to incorporate. Add the egg, orange zest, vanilla, salt and other spices.
• Sift the floor and baking powdered into the wet ingredients.
• Roll dough into medium-small balls (16-18 gr. each) and place on parchment lined cookie sheets
• Bake for 10-14 minutes (depending on your oven) or until the surface is firm and just begins to crack. Remove from the oven and cool completely before icing.
• For the icing, in a small bowl whisk together the orange juice, vanilla, clove then incorporate in few batches the icing sugar, whisking until smooth and homogenous. You may need to adjust the consistency by adding more of icing sugar. Try and add more of the clove if desired – be careful, that’s a very potent spice.
• Dip the cookies upside down into the bowl of icing and shake off the excess of it. Since the cookies themselves are not too sweet, you can be quite generous with the glaze – this amount is enough for that. If prefer just a drizzle of the icing, then reduce the amount of the glaze.
• Allow the glaze to set completely before transferring to storage container. The cookies will store well in an airtight container for up to 1 week; they will firm up a bit but should not turn stale. Enjoy!

Notes

• This amount of icing glaze makes enough to fully dip the cookies. If you prefer just a drizzle, you should reduce it in half. You can play with the glaze by swapping wet ingredients, i.e., adding some milk instead of the orange juice or orange liqueur like triple sec.