Description
Delight in these classic Gingerbread Man Cookies that are soft, chewy, and bursting with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Perfect for holiday baking and decorating fun, they bake quickly and store well for lasting enjoyment.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons butter, room temperature, cut into 12 pieces
- 3/4 cup dark molasses
- 2 tablespoons milk
Frosting
- 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Add flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt to a mixing bowl and mix to combine evenly.
- Cut in Butter: Add the butter pieces and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles fine meal.
- Add Wet Ingredients: With a mixer on low speed, gradually add the molasses and milk, mixing until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Chill Dough: Divide the dough in half and form into balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, or freeze for 20 minutes until firm.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll and Cut Dough: Remove one dough ball, lightly flour your counter and rolling pin, roll dough to ½ inch thickness. Cut out gingerbread men and place on prepared baking sheets.
- Chill Cookies Briefly: Refrigerate the cut cookies for 5 minutes; roll out the second dough ball meanwhile.
- Bake: Bake cookies 8 to 11 minutes until set in the center and slightly springy to the touch. Avoid overbaking.
- Cool: Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before frosting.
- Store: Store in airtight container with parchment paper between layers. Freeze up to 3 months.
Notes
- The dough must be chilled before rolling to prevent stickiness and help maintain shape when baking.
- Use parchment paper on baking sheets for easy removal and to prevent sticking.
- To keep cookies soft and chewy, avoid overbaking; they should be just set and slightly springy.
- Decorate cookies with frosting once completely cooled for best results.
- Store cookies with parchment between layers to prevent sticking and preserve texture.
- Molasses adds a distinctive rich flavor; dark molasses is preferred for authentic taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 214 kcal
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 143 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 18 mg
