Treat yourself to a slow morning with a good book, a latté, and a yummy mini gingerbread house “mug hugger” cookie on the side. Mug hugger cookies are a fun way to spice up your Christmas tea, latté or any other delicious hot drink. They are simple and fun to make and they can double as décor! There are lots of gingerbread recipes you could use, but I found one that is easy and reliable. We’ve made many batches of these now and they’ve turned out each time!

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

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What is a Mug Hugger Cookie?

A mug hugger cookie is a cookie baked into a shape that allows it to sit on the side of your mug. They look adorable and they are delicious!

I like to use mug hugger cookies as Christmas décor around the house as well. I love all things mini during the holidays and tiny house villages are so fun to create!

The Best Gingerbread Recipe for Mug Hugger Cookies

My favourite gingerbread recipe to use for mug hugger cookies is this recipe based on Mimi Sinclair’s Gingerbread Wonderland. It is surprisingly easy and it has produced reliable results each time we’ve made it!

Where to Find Cookie Cutters for Mug Hugger Cookies

You can cut out your own shapes to make mug hugger cookies, but it’s definitely easier to use cookie cutters. This 3 piece cookie cutter set is the one I currently have. And I love this cookie cutter set with 5 different shapes and there are so many other cute cookie cutter options.

How to Make Gingerbread House Mug Hugger Cookies

Mug Hugger Cookie Ingredients

Gingerbread

• 1 C Shortening
• 1 C Sugar
• 1/2 C Cooking Molasses 
• 2 Tbsp Water
• 3 Cups Flour
• 4 tsp Ginger
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Royal Icing

• 2 Egg Whites
• 2 C Confectioners Sugar
• water

Tools

• Cookie cutters
• Large mixing bowl
• Handheld or Stand mixer
• Measuring cups
• Rolling pin
• Parchment paper
• Cookie tray
• Piping bag & tip

Cookie Instructions

1. Combine shortening, sugar, molasses and water in a large bowl. I just used a hand mixer, but you could use your stand mixer too.

2. Add in flour, salt, ginger and baking soda. The mixture will turn crumbly but should stick together easily when pressed.

3. Press the mixture together with your hands to form a soft dough. It will be a little sticky.

4. Roll the dough out between 2 sheets of parchment paper 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick. Cool for at least 30 mins in the fridge. (If you skip this step the dough can be sticky and hard to work with).

5. Cut out your shapes using a paring knife or cookie cutter set.

Tip: The cookie cutter set I have has 3 shapes… 1 front/back shape, 1 roof shape, 1 side shape. You need 2 of each shape to make a house.

6. Peel back the extra dough surrounding your shapes and reform to roll out again and use to make more cookies.

7. Bake your shapes in the oven on a sheet of parchment paper at 350ºF until the edges turn brown and the cookies are nice and crispy. You want them to be harder than the average cookie so that they are easy to build with. Then let cool completely.

Royal Icing Instructions

While the cookies are cooling make your icing. You will use this as the glue to stick the gingerbread houses together as well as to decorate them.

Royal icing is made using only egg whites and icing sugar (sometimes with lemon or vanilla added for flavour). It hardens over 6-8 hrs into a candy like texture unlike regular or buttercream icing. It can be tricky to get the hang of, but for these mug hugger cookies it’s definitely ok if it’s not perfect.

1. Mix egg whites and icing sugar in a large bowl and add water 1/2 tsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency. For these mug hugger cookies I wanted it to be a thick, smooth consistency (not too runny) so that it would stick the houses together. (If you add more water you can get a runnier icing used to “flood” the cookies. This makes that nice smooth icing you see on sugar cookies etc…)
2. Add icing into a piping bag with a fine tip. Apply icing like “glue” to your fully cooled cookie pieces to stick them together. Royal icing is sticky so it will hold well, but it also dries quickly so work fast! You can keep your bowl of left over icing covered with a damp cloth to keep it from drying out as you work. If it starts to dry add a little more water and give it a good stir before using.

I definitely need more practice working with icing, but the good news is that if I can do it anyone can lol!! The houses stuck together pretty easily and seemed to be quite sturdy when they were finished.

Note: The icing I made this day was very stiff and hardened quickly. If you make your icing too thick as well here’s a couple extra tips to make it work: I warmed it up several times right in the icing bag by dipping it in hot water if it was getting to hard to pipe and I washed out the tip a few times as well if the icing started to harden right in the tip . Next time around I will add more water and start with a smoother icing! It definitely takes some trial and error.

These mini gingerbread house mug hugger cookies weren’t perfectly iced or decorated, but I think it actually just makes them look more rustic and charming!

Printable Recipe for Gingerbread House Mug Hugger Cookies

Print out the recipe and instructions to make these cute little mug hugger cookies here. Don’t forget to rate the recipe and save to Pinterest for later! I’d love to hear if you try these!

These mini gingerbread house mug hugger cookies make the cutest and coziest winter addition to your drinks or décor. They would also be adorable packaged up in a little gift box as a holiday present, party favour or hostess gift!

MORE GOOD READS:

• A Pink Gingerbread Christmas Home Tour
• 3 Gingerbread Holiday Gift Wrap Ideas
• DIY Gingerbread House Advent Calendar Tree
• How to Make a Dried Orange Garland
• 3 Simple DIY Christmas Garlands