Description
Festive gingerbread men cookies bring holiday cheer with warming spices and sweet nostalgia. Rich molasses and classic spices unite in these charming treats that invite celebration and comfort during winter gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150 grams) brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (120 milliliters) unsulfured molasses
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
Spices and Seasonings:
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Additional Ingredients:
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorating Ingredients (Optional):
- Royal icing (store-bought or homemade)
- Assorted sprinkles or candies
Instructions
- Craft a luxurious gingerbread dough by whipping butter and brown sugar into a creamy consistency, then incorporate egg, molasses, and vanilla until thoroughly blended.
- Sift together dry ingredients – flour, warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt – creating a fragrant spice blend.
- Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, kneading until a supple, aromatic dough emerges.
- Partition dough into two uniform disks, encase in plastic membrane, and refrigerate for minimum one hour to enhance flavor development and texture.
- Warm oven to 350F, preparing baking sheets with parchment paper for optimal cookie release.
- Dust work surface with delicate flour, rolling dough to gossamer-thin consistency, approximately 14-inch thickness.
- Carefully stamp out gingerbread silhouettes using festive cookie cutter, transferring delicate shapes onto prepared sheets with precise one-inch spacing.
- Recycle dough remnants, re-rolling and cutting additional cookie figures until mixture is exhausted.
- Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, ensuring edges solidify while centers maintain tender softness.
- Allow cookies to rest momentarily on baking sheet, then transition to cooling rack for complete temperature reduction.
- Embellish cooled cookies with intricate royal icing, playful sprinkles, or whimsical candy accents, permitting decorative elements to set before serving.
Notes
- Chilling the dough helps prevent spreading and creates a more defined gingerbread man shape during baking.
- Use fresh, high-quality spices to ensure a robust and aromatic ginger flavor that makes these cookies truly memorable.
- For a gluten-free version, swap wheat flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend, ensuring the same soft and chewy texture.
- Control cookie thickness carefully – thinner cookies crisp up faster, while thicker ones stay delightfully soft and tender.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 75mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 20mg