Gingerbread Men
intro
Chewy-crisp spiced gingerbread men, decorated with sweet colorful icing, are a beloved festive treat perfect for family baking, holiday gifting, and Christmas celebrations.
Ingredients
Steps
Cream the Butter and Sugar
In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream 113g softened unsalted butter and 150g packed light brown sugar for 2 full minutes until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy. Add 120ml unsulphured molasses, 1 room-temperature egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, then beat on medium speed for 1 additional minute until completely smooth with no lumps.
Whisk the Dry Ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together 350g all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg for 30 seconds until spices are evenly distributed. Gradually mix the dry ingredient blend into the wet butter mixture on low mixer speed, stopping as soon as no dry flour is visible (overmixing will make tough cookies). Shape the finished dough into a 2cm-thick flat disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
Chill the Dough One Hour
Place the wrapped dough disc in the refrigerator to chill for a full 60 minutes at 4°C (standard refrigerator temperature). This step is non-negotiable: chilled dough prevents cookies from spreading excessively and losing their distinct gingerbread man shape during baking.
Preheat the Oven, Roll Dough
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and line two large baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper. Remove chilled dough from the fridge, and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to a uniform 5mm (1/4 inch) thickness. Use a 10cm (4 inch) metal gingerbread man cookie cutter to press out shapes, transferring each cutout to the prepared baking sheets with 2cm (1 inch) of space between each to allow for minor spread. Gather and re-roll dough scraps only once to cut extra shapes, as overworking scraps will make cookies tough.
Bake the Cookies Until Done
Bake one sheet of cookies at a time on the middle oven rack for 8 to 10 minutes: cookies are done when the edges are just set and slightly darker golden brown, while centers will look slightly soft (they will firm as they cool). Let cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes after removing from the oven, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature (approximately 20 minutes) before decorating.
Make the Decorating Icing
While cookies cool, stir 200g powdered sugar, 15ml whole milk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth to make a thick, pipeable icing; divide into small dishes and tint with gel food coloring if desired. Transfer icing to small piping bags (or a zip-top bag with a 1mm corner snipped off) to pipe faces, buttons, cuffs, and other decorative details on fully cooled cookies. Let decorated cookies sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow icing to set completely before serving or storing.
Tips
2.Adjust bake time for your preferred texture: bake for 8 minutes for chewy, soft-centered gingerbread men, or 10 minutes for crisp, snappy cookies, watching closely to avoid burning the spiced edges.
3.Store fully cooled, decorated gingerbread men in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, making them an ideal make-ahead treat for holiday gifting or party spreads.
OMG these classic gingerbread men are SO good! I baked a double batch for my 8 year old’s class holiday party last week and every single kid begged for seconds. The spice balance is chef’s kiss—no overpowering ginger, just that warm, cozy molasses flavor I remember from childhood. Total game changer for my annual Christmas cookie platter!
My kids loved helping me cut out these little guys yesterday! We did silly faces with red hots for buttons and sprinkles for hair, and they were so proud to show them off to their dad when he got home from work. The dough was super easy to mix up, even with little hands “helping” pour ingredients. Will be making these every year from now on!
Has anyone tried making these with a 1:1 gluten free flour blend? I have celiac and have been searching for a solid gingerbread recipe that doesn’t turn out crumbly or taste like cardboard. These look perfect, I just need to swap the flour!
Made these for the school bake sale and we sold out in 20 minutes! People were coming back asking if we had more, I had to write down the recipe link for three different parents. Only note is I wish I’d made a triple batch instead of a double, because we definitely could have sold twice as many.
Okay, I was intimidated because the recipe says medium difficulty, but these were way easier than I thought! The mandatory hour chill time is non-negotiable, I learned that the hard way last year with a different gingerbread recipe that spread all over the pan. These held their shape perfectly, even when I did little dinosaur cutouts alongside the men.
I’ve been making gingerbread cookies for over 50 years, and this recipe is hands down the best one I’ve ever tried. The ratio of cinnamon to ginger to cloves is exactly what old fashioned gingerbread should taste like, no weird modern add-ins or shortcuts. My grandkids gobbled up half a batch before we even got to decorating!
Brought these to my friend’s ugly sweater party over the weekend and they were a total hit! I added a tiny pinch of black pepper to the dough like my grandma used to, and it gave the spice such a nice little warm kick at the end. 10/10, will make again.
Okay, full transparency: I forgot to chill the dough the full hour (only did 20 minutes because I was impatient) and my cookies spread into weird blobs. They still tasted amazing, though! Definitely don’t skip the chill time like I did, y’all. Learn from my mistake.
These are the perfect texture—nice and crisp around the edges, soft and chewy right in the middle. I used mini chocolate chips for the eyes instead of icing because my great grandson is allergic to egg whites, and it worked like a charm. Delicious!
Made these for my wife’s first Christmas in our new apartment, and she said they taste exactly like the ones her grandma used to make. I’m basically a professional baker now, right? Only mishap was I burned the first batch because I got distracted watching football, but the second batch was flawless.
Took these on a winter hike with my friends last weekend, and they held up perfectly in the backpack! No crumbs, no breaking, just delicious spiced cookies that hit different after 3 miles in 30 degree weather. Great portable holiday treat.
Quick heads up for anyone in a super dry climate like Arizona: you might need to add an extra tablespoon of milk to the dough if it feels too crumbly when you’re mixing it. I did that and they rolled out perfectly, no cracks at all!
I made these for my annual church potluck and got so many compliments! The only change I made was adding a little orange zest to the icing, it paired so well with the ginger and molasses. Will absolutely be adding this to my regular holiday rotation.
Meal prepped a double batch of these dough logs to freeze for last minute holiday events! I read that gingerbread dough freezes really well for up to 3 months, so I can just slice and bake whenever I need a quick treat for unexpected guests. Genius recipe, so easy to prep ahead.
These are my new go-to for every holiday potluck from now on! They’re sturdy enough to stack on a platter, they taste amazing, and everyone thinks you spent hours on them even though the mixing part only takes 15 minutes. 10/10, no notes.
Got snowed in over the weekend and decided to bust out these cookies with my roommate. We put on bad Christmas movies, decorated them with way too many sprinkles, and ate half the batch while they were still warm. Perfect snow day activity, 100% recommend.
Tried this recipe after striking out on two other gingerbread recipes that were either too bland or too spicy, and this one is just right! My picky 10 year old even ate three cookies after dinner, which is basically a Michelin star review from him.
I was worried these would be too sweet because a lot of gingerbread recipes go overboard on the molasses, but the balance is perfect. I paired them with spiced cider at my holiday party last night and it was chef’s kiss. SO good.
These tasted great, but man, the 1 hour chill time felt so long when I was craving cookies last night! I get why it’s necessary, but next time I’m gonna make the dough the night before so I don’t have to wait around to bake. Flavor is on point, though, no complaints there.