You always have a knob of ginger on hand for quick marinades, dressings and stir fries. But have you ever thought to use it in dessert? Ginger—whether it’s minced, juiced, ground or candied—works wonders in sweets. It can make an otherwise cloying treat taste complex and balanced. Plus, it’s absolutely magical when paired with a wide range of fruits, from oranges to apricots to pears. Read on for 22 ideas that are sure to spice up your winter rotation.
22 Ginger Desserts That Will Spice Up Your Winter Baking
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Published Feb 1, 2023
1. Pineapple and Ginger Upside-Down Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Place this beauty on the table and let the oohs and ahhs roll in. It’s sweet, spicy and practically decorates itself, thanks to the buttery brown sugar-pineapple topping.
2. Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
These are sort of like a hybrid of old-school molasses cookies, classic chocolate chip cookies and warm-spiced gingerbread. Be sure not to overbake them to maximize their chewiness.
3. Rosé Poached Pears with Ginger and Vanilla
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, gluten free
Steeping fresh ginger in the wine syrup keeps this dessert fragrant and balanced, since the root’s spice and aroma can hold its own against the pear’s sweetness.
4. Vegan & Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Ginger Tart
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 25 minutes (plus chilling)
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegan, gluten free, special occasion-worthy
There’s ground ginger in the gingersnap crust, crystallized ginger in the pistachio topping and fresh ginger syrup in the chocolate filling—need we say more?
5. Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
Sweet, tangy, rich cream cheese frosting is the ultimate foil for warm winter spices like cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Crown the loaf with a few strands of candied ginger for good measure.
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Yup, gingerbread pie crust is a thing—and it just might overshadow the vanilla-ginger sour cherry filling. Use frozen cherries in the off season; just be sure to thaw them first.
7. Lemon Ginger No-Churn Ice Cream
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes (plus freezing time)
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, <10 ingredients, gluten free
Acidity is spice’s best friend. In other words, fresh lemon juice and ginger are a match made in dessert heaven. Chill the ice cream for three hours if you want a soft-serve consistency or six hours for a firmer texture.
8. Gingerbread Lattice Cookies
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
The key to these adorable treats is using a fluted cookie cutter to cut the dough. The cookies are visually enticing without the help of icing, but a simple vanilla glaze couldn’t hurt.
9. Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
Upside-down cakes are always best served fresh, but you can prepare the brown sugar-caramel topping ahead if you must. Just cover it tightly and keep it in the fridge for up to two days.
10. Caramel-Stuffed Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
- Time Commitment: 3 hours
- Why I Love It: make ahead, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
If just looking at these snow-topped delights doesn’t put you in the holiday spirit, we don’t know what will. (It may even get you ready to celebrate Christmas in July.) Don’t sweat the filling: It’s just store-bought soft caramels.
11. Ginger Brown Butter Blondies
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Freshly grated ginger and cayenne powder give these otherwise nutty, caramel-y blondies the kick they need. (P.S.: Browning butter is easier than you think.)
12. Cashew-Ginger Chocolate Bark with Coconut and Sesame
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, gluten free
Crystallized ginger adds spice and chew to this simple-yet-giftable chocolate bark. Use dairy-free chocolate to make it vegan.
13. Brown Butter Chewy Ginger Oatmeal Cookies
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
Sweet, chewy and adorned with crispy edges, these cookies are a far cry from humdrum oatmeal raisin. Add toffee bits or butterscotch chips to the mix for an extra dose of caramel flavor and salt.
14. Pumpkin Gelato with Candied Ginger and Dark Chocolate
- Time Commitment: 6 hours and 30 minutes (includes chilling time)
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
Pumpkin puree, grated ginger, molasses and vanilla bean paste make for a deeply flavorful base, while chopped candied ginger and dark chocolate chunks offer texture.
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
Ah, the galette, pie’s less-fussy, easy-to-prepare cousin. Consider this sweet-and-spicy recipe a lazy baker’s dream.
16. Brown Sugar Maple Ginger Cookies
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
Dark brown sugar, blackstrap molasses and spices make the cookies tasty as is, but the four-ingredient maple glaze takes them way over the top.
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 45 minutes (includes cooling time)
- Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Cream cheese shortbread + ginger-lemon curd + a dusting of confectioners’ sugar = a dessert bar for the books. We wouldn’t mind a drizzle of raspberry coulis on top either.
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 30 minutes (includes cooling)
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
We love you, vanilla-spice cream cheese filling. Be sure to chill the cookie dough for at least a full two hours; if you don’t, the cookies will spread in the oven and turn out too crispy for whoopie pies.
19. Triple-Ginger Spice Cookies
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
The cookies’ intense flavor is all thanks to candied ginger, ginger paste and ground ginger. Chocolate curbs the spice just enough with a touch of welcome sweetness.
20. Gingerbread Millionaire Bars
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
Traditional millionaire bars are made up of layered shortbread, soft caramel and chocolate, sort of like a fancy Twix. These start with spiced shortbread, infused with both ground and fresh ginger.
21. White Chocolate Ginger Cookies
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
Sure, these festive molasses cookies *do* look cute topped with Christmas tree sprinkles, but they’re fair game year-round, if you ask us. (Just don’t skip the white chocolate.)
22. Pumpkin Cake with Ginger Chocolate and Meringue
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, make ahead
Beneath a toasty layer of light-as-clouds meringue hides a game-changing ginger-chocolate frosting that will wow your guests. Ginger is also used in the cake batter in the form of pumpkin pie spice.
Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.
