These gingerbread man cookies are soft cut-outs made from a dark molasses dough with dark brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. There is no egg in it. The dough chills for 2 hours, bakes at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes, and one batch gives about 24 cookies, finished with a simple piped icing.
The trick is rolling cold dough to an even ¼ inch. Thin spots burn and thick ones stay raw in the middle. For me, a tray of these is how the holiday season starts: flour on the counter, crooked arms, and the kitchen smelling of ginger and cloves.
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- Dough: 3 cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar, ¾ cup molasses, ½ cup softened unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons milk
- Spice: 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon cloves, ½ teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- Icing: 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 2 to 3 tablespoons milk or water, ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Chill: at least 2 hours, or overnight
- Bake: 350°F (175°C), 8 to 10 minutes, rolled ¼ inch thick
- Makes: about 24 cookies, depending on the cutter
Making the Molasses Dough
Whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt and baking soda in one bowl. In a second bowl, beat the soft butter, dark brown sugar and molasses with a mixer until smooth and evenly dark.
Add the dry mix in a few additions, alternating with the milk, and stop as soon as no dry flour shows. Overmixing makes tougher cookies. Spoon the flour into the cup and level it rather than scooping, because packed flour is the usual reason this dough turns crumbly and the cookies bake dry.
The dough will be very sticky. That is the molasses, and it is fine. Without an egg, it relies on the molasses and milk to hold together, which is also why the shapes spread so little. Divide it in two, flatten each half into a disc, wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Rolling and Cutting Without Sticking
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line the baking sheets with parchment. Work with one disc at a time and leave the other in the fridge.
Roll the cold dough to ¼ inch, either on a lightly floured counter or between two sheets of parchment. Parchment is my choice for this dough because it needs no extra flour, and extra flour shows as pale streaks on dark cookies. Cut the gingerbread men, lift them onto the tray with a thin spatula, and leave about an inch between them. Press the scraps together, chill them for a few minutes, and roll again.
Soft or Crisp: Baking the Cookies
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. On dough this dark you cannot rely on browning, so look at the middle instead. The edges should be firm, the center no longer shiny, and a light press should leave only a slight mark. They firm up as they cool.
Leave them on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely before icing. Rolled at ¼ inch and pulled at 8 minutes, they stay soft and chewy. For crisp cookies, roll to ⅛ inch and give them 1 to 2 minutes more; watch closely, since thin dough goes from crisp to burnt quickly.
When the Shapes Spread or Crack
- Arms and heads puff or blur: the dough was warm. Chill the cut shapes on the tray for 10 minutes before they go in, and never bake on a hot sheet straight from the oven.
- Dough sticks to everything: it needs more chilling, not more flour. Put it back in the fridge for 20 minutes or roll it between parchment.
- Edges crack when rolling: the dough is too cold and stiff. Let it sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Cookies are hard and dry: too much flour or too long in the oven. Level the flour and take them out when the centers lose their shine.
- Small cutters burn at the hands and feet: bake small and large shapes on separate trays so they come out at the right time.
Simple Icing vs Royal Icing
The icing on this card is a simple powdered sugar and milk icing, not royal icing. Stir the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk or water, then add the last tablespoon a few drops at a time. It should hold a ribbon on the surface for a few seconds. Too runny, add powdered sugar; too thick to pipe, add a few drops of milk.
It sets in about 30 minutes to a soft, matte finish that tastes like vanilla and suits the spice. It still dents if you stack the cookies the same day. For cookies that will be stacked in tins, bagged or hung, use royal icing with meringue powder or this sugar cookie icing that hardens.
Decorating Faces and Buttons
Spoon the icing into a piping bag with a small round tip, or a zip bag with a tiny corner snipped off. Pipe the eyes, a smile, two or three buttons, and squiggles at the wrists and ankles. Keep the lines thin, because this icing spreads a little as it settles.
The red bow ties in my photos are small pieces of red fondant, pressed on while the icing is still wet so it holds them. Let everything set for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Storing, Freezing and Gifting
Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, with parchment between layers once the icing is dry. The wrapped dough discs keep for about 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer; thaw them overnight in the fridge before rolling. Baked, un-iced cookies also freeze well for up to 3 months.
For individually wrapped gingerbread man cookies, let this icing dry overnight first, then slide each cookie into a cellophane bag and tie it with ribbon or heat seal it. My Christmas cookie packaging ideas have more ways to box them. To hang them on the tree, use the dough and method from my gingerbread ornament cookies.
They are made for a mug of Christmas hot chocolate and a mixed cookie plate. Add gingerbread crinkle cookies, peppermint chocolate blossom cookies and a few coconut almond truffles, or browse my 50 easy Christmas desserts for the rest of the table.
Questions From the Cookie Counter
Are gingerbread man cookies supposed to be soft or hard?
Either. This recipe is soft and chewy at ¼ inch thick. Roll to ⅛ inch and bake 1 to 2 minutes longer for crisp cookies.
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes. Keep it wrapped in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge.
Can I use light brown sugar or a different molasses?
Light brown sugar works, with a milder, paler cookie. Use regular unsulphured molasses; blackstrap is bitter and overpowers the spice.
How is this different from a gingerbread sugar cookie?
Sugar cookie dough is pale and buttery with white sugar and egg. This dough gets its color, chew and flavor from molasses and dark brown sugar, with a full tablespoon each of ginger and cinnamon.
Pin this recipe to your Christmas baking board, and tell me in the comments how your gingerbread men turned out and how you decorated them.
Gingerbread Man Cookies
These gingerbread man cookies are soft cut-out cookies made with a molasses dough of dark brown sugar, butter, ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves, with no egg. The dough chills for 2 hours, rolls out to ¼ inch, and bakes at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes, making about 24 gingerbread men that hold sharp shapes. Molasses gives the deep color and chew, and chilled dough keeps the arms and heads from spreading. A simple powdered sugar icing with vanilla pipes faces and buttons and sets in about 30 minutes. Use these gingerbread men cookies for Christmas cookie plates, cookie boxes, individually wrapped gifts, or decorating with kids. Roll thinner for crisp cookies. Store airtight for up to 5 days.
Ingredients
- FOR THE GINGERBREAD DOUGH:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons milk
- FOR THE ICING:
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2–3 tablespoons milk or water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- WHISK DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and baking soda until evenly blended.
- CREAM BUTTER, SUGAR, AND MOLASSES: In a separate bowl, use a mixer to blend the softened butter, brown sugar, and molasses until smooth and uniform.
- COMBINE WET AND DRY INGREDIENTS: Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture in several additions, alternating with the milk. Mix until a consistent dough forms without overmixing.
- CHILL THE DOUGH: Divide the dough into two equal portions, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight to firm up.
- PREHEAT THE OVEN: Set the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- ROLL AND CUT: On a lightly floured surface, roll out one chilled dough disc to about ¼‑inch thickness. Cut out gingerbread man shapes and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.
- BAKE: Bake for 8–10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown slightly. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- MIX THE ICING: Combine powdered sugar, milk or water, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Stir until the icing is smooth and thick enough for piping.
- DECORATE: Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe details on the cooled cookies and let the icing set for about 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
For deeper spice flavor, increase the ginger slightly or add a pinch of nutmeg. The dough is sticky: chill it the full 2 hours and roll it between two sheets of parchment instead of adding extra flour. If the dough softens during cutting, refrigerate the cut shapes for about 10 minutes before baking so they keep their shape. The cookies are done when the edges are firm and the centers are no longer shiny. This icing sets soft; let it dry overnight before stacking or bagging. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The dough keeps 3 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen.
Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 347Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 3gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 13mgSodium 123mgCarbohydrates 71gFiber 2gSugar 41gProtein 4g
