Gingerbread man cookies, soft inside with warm spices and crisp edges. Classic holiday cookies with ginger, cinnamon, and molasses—easy to roll, cut, and decorate.
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These gingerbread man cookies use my go-to spiced dough: rich molasses flavor, soft texture, perfect for clean cookie-cutter shapes.
They’re fun to decorate with my easy powdered sugar icing and great for gifting or making with kids during the holidays.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Classic gingerbread flavor – Warm spices, molasses, cozy holiday taste.
- Perfect texture – Soft center, lightly crisp edges.
- Easy to decorate – Clean shapes that hold well and perfect with icing.
Ingredients You Need
- Butter: Unsalted, softened
- Brown sugar: Dark or light for that molasses taste
- Egg: Room temperature
- Molasses: Or a mix of honey + maple syrup
- Flour: All-purpose
- Leavening: Baking soda or baking powder
- Spices: Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
- Vanilla + salt: Boost the flavor
- Powdered sugar + water: For the icing
Tips for this recipe
- Chill the dough – Helps the cookies keep sharp edges when baking.
- Roll evenly – About 3 mm thick for soft yet stable cookies.
- Freeze shapes briefly – 10–15 minutes to prevent spreading.
- Use parchment – Avoids sticking and keeps the dough clean.
- Fresh spices – Ginger, cinnamon, cloves give better flavor.
How to Make Soft Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
It’s a flavored variation of my go-to cut-out sugar cookie recipe, with the same no-spread dough.
Place butter and brown sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy.
Add the egg, vanilla, and molasses and mix again.
Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in another bowl.
Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until the dough forms.
Shape into a ball, wrap, and chill for at least 20 minutes.
Roll out the dough to about 3 mm and cut gingerbread man shapes.
Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8–10 minutes.
Let cool completely on a rack.
Make the icing by mixing powdered sugar with water until smooth.
Color if needed, fill a piping bag, and decorate the cooled cookies.
Recipe Variations
- Chocolate dipped: Dip the feet or bottom in melted chocolate
- Lemon glaze: Top with a thin lemon icing
- Spiced mix: Add allspice or cardamom
- Gingerbread houses: Use the same dough for small house pieces
- Stuffed cookies: Sandwich two cookies with ganache or jam
Recipe Questions
How do I keep gingerbread man cookies soft?
Store in an airtight container; add a marshmallow or a piece of bread to keep moisture.
Why are my gingerbread man cookies hard?
They were overbaked or the dough had too much flour. Bake just until the edges set.
Can I change the spices?
Yes—add cardamom, allspice, or a pinch of black pepper.
How do I know they’re done?
Edges set and lightly golden; centers still soft. They firm up as they cool.
More Gingerbread Cookies
- iced gingerbread cookies
- iced Christmas sugar cookies
- mini gingerbread houses
- Frosted gingerbread cookies
I hope you’ll love this recipe! Rate it ★★★★★ and leave a quick comment — it always helps. Happy baking!
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Soft Gingerbread Men Cookies
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 20 biscuits
Description
Soft Gingerbread cookies flavored with gingerbread spices and decorated with royal icing (for 20 cookies)
Ingredients
Gingerbread dough
- 153 g (1 stick + 3 tbsp) Butter - unsalted and softened
- 135 g (⅔ cup) Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg - large at room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 150 g (⅓ cup) molasses - or honey + maple syrup mix
- 450 g (3 cups) Flour - all-purpose
- 1 tsp Cinnamon - ground
- 1 tsp Ginger - ground
- 1 pinch Nutmeg - ground
- 1 pinch Cloves - ground
- 1 tsp baking soda - or baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
Royal Icing
- 400 g (3 ⅓ cups)Powdered sugar - sifted
- 40 g (3-4 tbsp) Water
- Sugar for decoration
Instructions
Cookie dough
- Place softened butter and brown sugar in a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until creamy.
- Add the egg, vanilla extrac and molasses and mix again with the hand mixer for 1 minute to incorporate.
- Then add the dry ingredients, flour, spices, salt and baking soda and mix just until combined.
- Gather the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut out with a gingerbread man cookie cutter.
- Place your cutouts on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer while the oven is preheating.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 347°F / 175°C and bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are slightly puffed and browned.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let them cool a little, then carefully move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decoration
- Place the sifted powdered sugar in a medium bowl with the water and beat with an electric whisk for about 5 minutes until the mixture is thick and slightly fluid. (If the mixture seems too runny add more powdered sugar and if it is too thick add a few drops of water)
- Fill a piping bag with a round 2 tip or cut a very small opening with scissors.
- Decorate the cookies with icing and immediately decorate with granulated sugar or other decorations.
- Let the gingerbread men dry for 1 hour before eating them!
Notes
Storage: up to 1-2 weeks at room temperature in a covered storage box and up to 3 months in the freezer without the glaze.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: cookies, shortbread
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 268
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 305.5 mg
- Fat: 6.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 49.8 g
- Protein: 2.7 g
- Cholesterol: 25.7 mg
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