Get Ready to Elevate Your Christmas with These Irresistibly Soft and Spiced Gingerbread Men Cookies! Delight in Their Tender Interior, Crispy Edges, and Stunning Decorations Courtesy of Our Homemade Royal Icing.
If you like all Christmas gingerbread recipes and shortbread recipes that are part of the Christmas tradition and which we like to do with the children during vacations, then you'll love making this gingerbread men recipe in your holiday baking.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Made with gingerbread-flavored cookie dough, a hot spice mix of cinnamon ground, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and the molasses flavor that gives, a combination that gives all its wonderful taste to these soft gingerbread cookies.
Gingerbread cookie recipes have a softer texture than simple sugar cookies, and this is my favorite gingerbread recipe that I use in all of my cookie recipes, as in this recipe for a mini gingerbread house or this snowflake cookie.
- Irresistible Flavor: These gingerbread men cookies are bursting with warm and aromatic spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The combination creates a rich and festive flavor profile that's perfect for the holiday season.
- Soft and Chewy Texture: Unlike traditional gingerbread cookies that can sometimes be hard and crunchy, this recipe yields soft and chewy gingerbread men. They have a tender interior with a slight crispiness on the edges, making them a delightful treat for everyone.
- Fun Holiday Tradition: Baking and decorating gingerbread men cookies is a cherished holiday tradition for many families. This recipe provides a perfect canvas for creative decorating with colorful icing and sprinkles, making it a fun activity for kids and adults alike.
- Versatile Shapes and Sizes: While this recipe is specifically for gingerbread men, you can easily adapt it to create various shapes and sizes of gingerbread cookies, allowing you to customize your holiday baking to suit your preferences and creativity.
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Ingredients and substitutions
* You will find the quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the page.
Gingerbread cookie dough
- Butter: Use unsalted butter at room temperature. You can slightly soften it in the microwave for easier mixing.
- Sugar: Opt for brown sugar, such as dark brown sugar or cane sugar, to impart a rich and molasses-like sweetness to the cookies.
- Eggs: Make sure your eggs are also at room temperature. This helps in achieving a smoother and more even cookie dough.
- Molasses: Molasses is essential for that distinctive gingerbread flavor. While blackstrap molasses is traditional, you can substitute it with a blend of honey and maple syrup (golden syrup) if desired.
- Flour: Use white wheat all-purpose flour as the base. If you have dietary preferences or restrictions, you can replace it with another type of flour or a gluten-free flour mix for a gluten-free version of the cookies.
- Leavening Agent: For soft cookies, you can use either baking soda or baking powder. These leavening agents help the cookies rise and become tender.
- Spices: A classic gingerbread spice mix, including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, adds warmth and depth of flavor. For an extra kick of ginger, consider using freshly grated ginger instead of ground ginger.
- Vanilla and Salt: Enhance the overall flavor profile with a touch of pure vanilla extract or a packet of vanilla sugar. A pinch of salt is also essential to balance the flavors and make them pop.
Sugar Icing
- Powdered sugar: Used as the base for the icing, powdered sugar provides sweetness and thickness to the mixture.
- Water: Water is essential for achieving the right consistency in royal icing. It helps to thin out the powdered sugar and create a smooth, flowable texture that's perfect for decorating cookies and cakes. Adjust the amount of water as needed to achieve your desired icing thickness.
Materials Needed
How to make Soft gingerbread Cookie recipe
Cream butter and sugar
- Place the softened butter and brown sugar in a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Add egg and vanilla extract and molasses (or honey-maple syrup mixture) and beat again to combine.
Add dry ingredients
- In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, salt and the spices of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves and if possible sift them.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.
- And mix again with a mixer at medium speed until you get a homogeneous dough.
- Gather the dough with your hands until it forms a smooth and slightly sticky dough.
- Cover the gingerbread dough ball with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
Cut out the men
- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 3 mm.
- Cut out gingerbread man shapes with the cookie cutter and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Baking
- Preheat oven to 347°C / 175°C and let the cookies bake for about 8 to 10 minutes until they are puffed and golden brown.
- Remove the baked gingerbread men from the oven and let them cool a bit on the baking sheet before moving them to a plate or cake rack to cool completely.
Sugar Icing
- Place powdered sugar in a container with water and beat with an electric whisk for about 5 minutes until thick and fluid.
- To add color to your icing, separate the royal icing into small bowls and add your food coloring and mix with a fork until the color is well blended.
- Decorate gingerbread cookies with a piping bag filled with royal icing. Decorate immediately with sugar or sugar decorations before icing hardens.
- Let the gingerbread men cookies dry for about 1 hour at room temperature before eating them.
Storage and Freeze
At Room Temperature: To keep your gingerbread men cookies fresh at room temperature, store them in an airtight container or a cookie jar with a tight-fitting lid. They can remain soft and delicious for up to 1 to 2 weeks when stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and heat sources.
In the Freezer: For longer-term storage, freeze your gingerbread men cookies before decorating them. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet until they're firm, then transfer them to an airtight container or resealable freezer bag with parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking.
Label with the date, and they can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. To enjoy, simply thaw at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before decorating and indulging.
Tips for this recipe
- Chilled Dough: Refrigerate the gingerbread cookie dough for at least 1 hour (or overnight) before rolling it out. This makes it easier to handle and prevents excessive spreading during baking.
- Even Thickness: Roll the dough to an even thickness, usually around ¼ inch (6 mm), to ensure consistent baking.
- Chill Again: After cutting out your gingerbread men shapes, place them on a baking sheet and chill them in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before baking. This helps the cookies retain their shape.
- Silicone Baking Mat: Consider using a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on your baking sheets to prevent cookies from sticking and for easy cleanup.
- Cool on Wire Rack: After baking, transfer the gingerbread men to a wire rack to cool completely. This prevents them from becoming soggy as they cool.
- Icing Consistency: When making royal icing for decorating, adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar for thicker icing or a few drops of water for thinner icing, depending on your decorating needs.
- Pastry Bag for Icing: Use a pastry bag or a resealable plastic bag with a corner snipped off to pipe the icing for more precise decoration.
- Drying Time: Allow the icing to dry and harden completely before storing or stacking the cookies to prevent smudging or sticking.
Recipe Variations
Gingerbread Houses: Use the same gingerbread dough to create gingerbread house pieces like my mini gingerbread house recipe.
Chocolate Dipped: Dip the bottom of your gingerbread men cookies in melted chocolate and let them set for a delightful chocolatey twist.
Stuffed Gingerbread Men: Create stuffed gingerbread men by sandwiching two cookies together with a filling like chocolate ganache, caramel, or raspberry jam.
Lemon-Glazed Gingerbread: Add a zesty twist by drizzling lemon glaze over your gingerbread men cookies for a refreshing flavor.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating: Before baking, coat your gingerbread men in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar for an extra layer of flavor and texture.
Nutty Delight: Add finely chopped nuts, such as pecans or almonds, to the dough for a crunchy and nutty variation.
Glazed Gingerbread Men: Instead of royal icing, top your gingerbread men with a simple sugar glaze flavored with vanilla or almond extract.
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Did you make this recipe?
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PrintSoft 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
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