The holidays are my favorite time of the year to give homemade gifts from the kitchen. There’s nothing better than receiving a big platter of Christmas cookies from a loved one. I always make these Gingerbread Men Cookies during the holiday season and give them as a gift to friends and family. They’re tasty, full of festive flavor and they’re adorable too. It’s a recipe that you’ll make year after year because it’s such a classic.

My kitchen always smells amazing when I bake these cookies. It’s like lighting a Christmas scented candle, but so much better because you can actually eat the treat!  The kids love getting in on the action and helping me decorate the gingerbread men cookies too. Occasionally, we might end up with some dinosaurs on our cookie sheets, instead of men – just because the kids beg me. Whatever shape you pick, the gingerbread flavor is amazing.

Looking for other amazing gingerbread recipes? Gingerbread Pancakes and Gingerbread Waffles are great breakfast options. For family movie nights, I whip together this EASY Gingerbread Cheesecake Dip recipe.

How To Make Classic Gingerbread Men Cookies

Obviously, you’re going to need a great cookie cutter. My gold standard, and favorite, is the Williams Sonoma gingerbread men cookie cutter. However, you can score an Amazon gingerbread men cookie cutter for almost half of the cost. Feel free to get creative and use whatever shape you want though!

What To Serve With Gingerbread Men Cookies

I make these and add them to a big plate of holiday cookies that I pass out to friends and family. They sit at the top because they’re so cute. When I’m serving them for dessert, or as a snack, I’ll add a fresh pot of coffee and some homemade hot chocolate (try my Slow Cooker Nutella Hot Chocolate or Mint Hot Chocolate). Sometimes people like to dunk their cookies in milk too – such a classic pairing.

Gingerbread Cookies Baking Tips

These aren’t difficult Christmas cookies to make, but they aren’t super easy either. With a few baking tips, you can bake a perfect batch. These little things will make all of the difference:

• After you make the molasses mixture over the stovetop be patient and wait for it to cool, to a lukewarm temperature.
• Temper the beaten egg. This will ensure that you don’t get scrambled egg in your molasses mixture. To temper the egg, add a bit of molasses mixture to the egg and stir. Then add the new egg/molasses mixture to the cooled lukewarm molasses mixture. Voila! No scrambled egg.
• Lightly grease your baking sheet or use a silicone baking mat.
• Once cookies are completely cooled, you can ice them. To save time, I use a store-bought cookie icing that comes with a decorative tip already. Want to use homemade cookie icing? That works too!

How To Store Leftover Cookies

Cookies are a holiday treat that don’t last very long. You can store any leftovers in an air-tight container for 1-2 weeks to enjoy. They’re also freezer friendly – so freeze leftover gingerbread men cookies and then thaw to room temperature to enjoy again. I try to only ice what I know we can enjoy right away. I’ll freeze cookies that aren’t iced yet (then add icing later).

What You’ll Need From The Grocery Store:

• Butter
• Sugar
• Molasses
• White Vinegar
• Egg
• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Soda
• Ground Ginger
• Ground Cinnamon
• Salt
• Optional: Store-Bought Cookie Icing

Step-By-Step Gingerbread Men Cookies Recipe Directions

In a saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, molasses and vinegar. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Cool to lukewarm.

Temper the egg (to prevent the egg scrambling) by adding a litle bit of the molasses mixture into your beaten egg and stir. Next, add the beaten egg mixture into the rest of the molasses mixture. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the molasses mixture to form a dough.

Divide into thirds. Shape each portion into round disks and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours until easier to handle.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a floured gingerbread men cookie cutter. Place on a greased cookie sheet (or use a silicone baking mat) and bake at 375, for 7-9 minutes. Edges should be firm. Let cool on a wire baking rack. Ice with store-bought (or homemade) cooking icing to finish.

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Yield: 3 Dozen

Classic Gingerbread Men Cookies Recipe

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Spiced with molasses, ginger and cinnamon, these classic Gingerbread Men Cookies are perfect for Christmas. They bake beautifully for decorating and your kitchen will smell amazing.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 9 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 24 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Butter, Cubed
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Molasses
• 2 Teaspoons White Vinegar
• 1 Egg, Lightly Beaten
• 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, molasses and vinegar. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Cool to lukewarm.
2. Temper the egg (to prevent the egg scrambling) by adding a litle bit of the molasses mixture into your beaten egg and stir. Next, add the beaten egg mixture into the rest of the molasses mixture.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the molasses mixture to form a dough.
4. Divide into thirds. Shape each portion into round disks and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours until easier to handle.
5. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a floured gingerbread men cookie cutter. Place on a greased cookie sheet (or use a silicone baking mat) and bake at 375, for 7-9 minutes. Edges should be firm. Let cool on a wire baking rack.
6. Ice with store-bought (or homemade) cooking icing to finish.

Notes

• It's very important your molasses mixture is cooled to lukewarm and that you temper the egg. Or else you'll end up with scrambled eggs, if it's too hot.
• I prefer to use silicone baking mats
• Place leftovers in an air-tight containter. They'll last for 1-2 weeks.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Amazon Gingerbread Man Cookie Cutter

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 87Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 56mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g

**Nutrition is calculated by a third party. Actual values may vary.

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