Gingerbread Man Cookies
Making Gingerbread Man Cookies is my favorite holiday tradition and this recipe is the best I've ever had. Every time I make a batch of them they are devoured by everyone within an hour. They have all of the classic gingerbread flavor, but are more soft and chewy.
Yield: Makes 2 dozen cookies
Things you'll need
Ingredients- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup molasses
- Round red cinnamon candies (Red Hots)
- Royal Icing
Equipment
- Gingerbread man cookie cutter
- #3 decorating tip
Let's get started!
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt.
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Mix in the egg and molasses.
- On low speed, mix in half the flour mixture, then repeat until well combined.
- Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a ¼ inch thickness. Cut out gingerbread men using the cookie cutter and place them 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.
- Freeze the cookies for 15 minutes.
- Bake until the cookies are firm to the touch and look dry, about 10 minutes.
- While the cookies are still warm, gently press 3 Red Hots down the center for buttons.
- Let cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Time to decorate!
- Make the Royal Icing and scoop into a decorating bag fitted with a #3 tip.
- Pipe eyes, mouths, and trim details onto the gingerbread men.
Written By Rosanna Pansino
