This is weirdly coincidental, but a friend was hearing similar from his vehicle (2011 Ford Explorer). He took it to a local tire shop, and they told him it was the front stabilizer-bar end links.
He brought it over to me for a 2nd opinion, and I told him I was sure it was wasn't the end links, but rather was likely the strut mounts. (In my experience, failing end links knock over speed bumps and potholes, but don't creak.)
He took it to another friend who is a professional mechanic. He (the mechanic) sprayed the end links with WD40, and the creaking went away. Live and learn!
Anyway, it might be worth shooting the end links with a lube, just to eliminate the possibility of them being the problem.