Gingerbread Man Cookies (Printable Format)
Classic spiced gingerbread men with crisp edges, soft centers, and decorative icing, ideal for festive gatherings.
# What You Need:
→ Gingerbread Cookies
01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
03 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
04 - 1/2 cup molasses
05 - 1 large egg
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
07 - 1 tablespoon ground ginger
08 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
11 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
→ Royal Icing
13 - 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
14 - 1 1/2 tablespoons meringue powder
15 - 3 to 4 tablespoons water
16 - Food coloring (optional)
# How-To Steps:
01 - In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
02 - Add molasses, egg, and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt until evenly blended.
04 - Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, blending until a soft dough forms.
05 - Divide dough into two portions, flatten into disks, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into gingerbread men with a cookie cutter.
08 - Place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges are set.
09 - Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
10 - Combine powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water; beat until smooth, thick, and pipeable, adding water gradually. Add food coloring if desired.
11 - Use a piping bag or small zip-top bag to decorate cooled cookies with icing. Let icing harden before serving or storing.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The dough is surprisingly forgiving once you get the chill time right, and it rolls out like a dream.
- That balance of crisp edges and soft centers makes each bite feel like youre biting into the holidays themselves.
- Decorating them turns into an event, not a chore, especially when you let kids take over the icing bag.
02 -
- Chilling the dough is not optional, I learned this after wrestling with sticky, shapeless dough that tore every time I tried to move it.
- Oven temperatures vary wildly, so check your cookies at 8 minutes or you might end up with gingerbread bricks instead of tender treats.
- Royal icing sets hard, so work quickly once you start piping or the tip will clog and youll be squeezing like your life depends on it.
03 -
- Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment instead of flouring your counter, it prevents sticking without making the dough dry.
- Re-roll scraps only once, after that the dough gets overworked and the cookies turn tough.
- If your icing crusts over while youre decorating, cover the bowl with a damp towel to keep it from drying out.