This is the best recipe for Gingerbread Men Cookies -soft in the centre and crisp edges with a perfectly spiced flavour that is sure to make it a favourite.
How to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies
The best part about baking up a batch of these gingerbread cookies is when it comes time to decorate the gingerbread men cookies.
You can get creative with smiles, eyes, buttons, squiggles, and more. For this you will need a classic royal icing recipe, piped on stiff, it will harden and hold it’s shape until eaten.
You can tint the royal icing with a couple drops of food colouring for even more creative fun!
Looking for more Christmas Cookie Recipes?
Check out some of my favourite Christmas Cookies:
Stained Glass Window Shortbread Cookies
White Chocolate & Cranberry Shortbread
Gingerbread Men Cookies
Yield: 24 Cookies | Prep Time: 3.5 hours | Cook Time: 10 mins
Ingredients:
3/4 Cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup Fancy molasses
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cloves
optional: royal icing
Directions:
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla on high speed for 2 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices until combined.
Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients at low speed until well combined. The dough should be thick and slightly sticky.
Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap tightly, shaping it into a flattened disc.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before baking or up to 3 days.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
Flour your work surface, hands and rolling pin.
Roll out one of the discs of dough until about 1/4 inch thick.
Use a gingerbread men cookie cutter to cut out the shapes from the dough.
Place the shapes on the prepared baking sheet.
Re-roll dough scraps until you have none left.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes, rotating your pan halfway through.
Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet.
Transfer to cooling rack to completely cool, then decorate as desired.
Gingerbread Men Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup Fancy molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground cloves
- optional: royal icing
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla on high speed for 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices until combined.
- Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients at low speed until well combined. The dough should be thick and slightly sticky.
- Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap tightly, shaping it into a flattened disc.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before baking or up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- Flour your work surface, hands and rolling pin.
- Roll out one of the discs of dough until about 1/4 inch thick.
- Use a gingerbread men cookie cutter to cut out the shapes from the dough.
- Place the shapes on the prepared baking sheet.
- Re-roll dough scraps until you have none left.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes, rotating your pan halfway through.
- Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet.
- Transfer to cooling rack to completely cool, then decorate as desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!