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Gingerbread Men made from scratch are soft, warmly spiced, and so much fun to decorate, the coziest cookie of the whole holiday season. Maddie and Lizzie load up on icing and candy every Christmas Eve, and our kitchen turns into a happy, sprinkle-covered mess. They are a must on the cookie tray with our chocolate blossom cookies.
These cookies are spiced just right and hold their shape beautifully, so every little gingerbread man comes out picture-perfect and ready to decorate.
Gingerbread Men Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 24 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 166kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft, warmly spiced, and molasses-rich with cozy holiday flavor
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our gingerbread bars
Quick Answer
To make Gingerbread Men, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and warm spices, then beat butter with brown sugar, molasses, egg, and vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients, divide the dough into disks, and chill for at least three hours. Roll out the chilled dough, cut into shapes, and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes before decorating.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Molasses gives that classic flavor. Dark or unsulphured molasses is the heart of gingerbread, lending its deep, rich, slightly bitter sweetness.
- A blend of warm spices. Ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves come together for that unmistakable cozy holiday spice.
- Chilling is the secret to sharp shapes. Resting the dough firms up the butter so the cookies hold their gingerbread-man shape instead of spreading.
- They stay soft, not hard. Pulling them at the right time gives you soft, tender gingerbread men rather than crunchy, snappy ones.
- Perfect for decorating. These cookies bake up smooth and sturdy, the ideal blank canvas for royal icing, candies, and sprinkles.
- Make-ahead friendly. The dough can chill for up to three days, so you can bake and decorate whenever the mood strikes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are a holiday tradition the whole family can make together, decorating is half the fun.
- They are soft and perfectly spiced, a cozy classic next to our chocolate Christmas shortbread.
- They are make-ahead and freezer-friendly, so they are easy to fit into the busy holiday baking season.
Key Ingredients
Simple pantry staples plus molasses and warm spices make the best gingerbread. Here are the ones that matter most.
- Molasses: Use unsulphured or dark molasses for that deep, rich, classic gingerbread flavor.
- Warm spices: Ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves give these cookies their signature cozy spice.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar adds moisture and a soft texture along with caramel-like sweetness.
- Butter: Softened butter creams with the sugar and molasses for a tender, flavorful dough.
- Icing: Royal icing or your favorite cookie icing is for decorating the baked and cooled gingerbread men.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This classic dough is wonderfully versatile:
- Make them crispy: Roll the dough thinner and bake a minute or two longer for snappy gingerbread men.
- Add orange zest: Beat a little orange zest into the dough for a bright, citrusy twist.
- Build a house: Use the same dough rolled and cut into panels to make a simple gingerbread house.
- Switch the shapes: Use any holiday cookie cutters you like, from stars and trees to snowflakes.
How to Make Gingerbread Men
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter with a mixer for about one minute until smooth.
- Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat until creamy, then add the egg and vanilla and mix for two minutes.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet and beat on low until combined, then divide the dough into two disks, wrap, and chill for at least 3 hours.
- On a generously floured surface, roll out the chilled dough and cut into gingerbread men, mending any cracks with your fingers and rerolling the scraps.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes, cool for 5 minutes on the tray, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before decorating as desired.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not skip the chill, at least 3 hours in the fridge is essential for dough that holds its shape and does not spread.
- Flour your surface generously, this dough is soft, so keep the work surface and rolling pin well floured.
- Mend cracks as you roll, simply press them back together with your fingers and the dough smooths out as you work.
- Watch the bake time, 8 minutes for small cookies and up to 11 for larger ones, pull them when set but still soft.
- Cool completely before icing, warm cookies will melt the icing and make it run.
- Let icing set before stacking or storing so your designs stay crisp and smudge-free.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These gingerbread men are the star of any holiday cookie tray, especially set out with royal icing and sprinkles for decorating. Arrange them with our chocolate blossom cookies, snowball cookies, and chocolate sugar cookies for a festive spread.
They are perfect for cookie exchanges, hostess gifts, and decorating parties with the kids. Serve them with mugs of hot cocoa and a bowl of our winter wonderland trail mix for a cozy holiday treat table.
String them up as edible ornaments, tuck them into gift boxes, or simply pile them on a plate by the fire. However you serve them, decorating gingerbread men is one of the sweetest traditions of the season.
Gingerbread Men FAQs
Chilling the dough is essential because it firms up the butter and lets the flour fully hydrate. This keeps the cookies from spreading in the oven so your gingerbread men hold their crisp, recognizable shape. Chill for at least three hours, or up to three days, before rolling and cutting.
For soft gingerbread men, do not overbake them. Pull them from the oven when the edges are just set but the centers still look slightly soft, around 8 to 10 minutes depending on size. Store them in an airtight container with a slice of bread, which helps keep the cookies tender.
Yes, this dough is perfect for making ahead. You can chill it in the fridge for up to three days, or wrap it well and freeze it for up to three months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the fridge, then let it sit a few minutes at room temperature before rolling.
Use unsulphured or dark molasses for the richest, most classic gingerbread flavor. Avoid blackstrap molasses, which is very bitter and intense and can make the cookies taste harsh. Regular dark molasses gives the perfect balance of deep, warm sweetness.
Wait until the cookies are completely cool, then decorate with royal icing piped from a bag or squeeze bottle. Add faces, buttons, and trim, then press on candies, sprinkles, or mini chocolate chips while the icing is still wet. Let everything set before stacking or packaging.
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, decorated gingerbread men stay fresh for up to a week. Make sure the icing is fully set before stacking them with parchment between layers. You can also freeze undecorated baked cookies for up to three months.
Baking up a holiday cookie tray? Add our gingerbread bars or soft frosted lofthouse cookies next.
For a fun holiday cookie, our from-scratch gingerbread men share the same warm spice blend.
Dunk them into our gingerbread latte for the full cozy December moment.
Gingerbread Men
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2/3 cup unsulphured or dark molasses
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- icing of your choice
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves in a large bowl.3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- In a separate large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter for one minute until smooth.10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add the brown sugar and molasses and continue to beat until creamy.3/4 cup light brown sugar, 2/3 cup unsulphured or dark molasses
- Then, add in the egg and vanilla and mix for two minutes.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and beat on low speed until well combined.
- Separate the dough into two parts and form both into a disk shape.
- Place the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. This step is necessary.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line 1-2 baking trays with parchment paper.
- Remove the chilled dough and generously flour your clean work surface.
- Begin rolling out the dough. It is likely to crack. Work slowly, and as you notice a crack while rolling, mend the crack using your fingers. The dough will become smoother as you continue to roll.
- Repeat the process with both disks of dough. Cut into shapes using your gingerbread man cookie cutter and place on the prepared sheet trays 1-2 inches apart.
- Reroll the scraps and cut them into shapes until all the dough is gone.
- Place the cookies into the oven and bake for approximately 10 minutes. If your cookies are smaller than 4 inches, start with 8 minutes. If they are larger than 4 inches, bake for approximately 11 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack.
- The cookies are ready to decorate as desired once fully cooled.icing of your choice
Notes
- Chill the Dough: Don’t skip chilling; it makes rolling easier and prevents spreading.
- Use a Lightly Floured Surface: Prevents sticking when rolling out the dough.
- Roll Evenly: Aim for 1/4-inch thickness for consistent baking.
- Re-roll Dough Scraps: Gather and roll out dough scraps to make more cookies.
- Watch Baking Time: Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Adjust time for cookie size.
- Cool Completely Before Decorating: Place cookies on a wire rack to cool before icing.
Nutrition
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