Gingerbread Men – Deliciously crunchy cut-out cookies that are perfectly spiced with ginger, and decorated with icing. The most festive, and BEST cookies to make for Christmas!
Gingerbread Men
One of the most classic, must-make cookies at Christmas time.
These cut-out ginger cookies are deliciously crunchy with soft and chewy centres, perfectly spiced, and decorated with a homemade icing.
One of the best things about these cookies is that you can shape them any way you like! Grab all the festive cookie cutters to yield a variety of shapes to share out.
You are absolutely going to love this homemade gingerbread cookie recipe. They are so much better than store-bought!
Looking for more gingerbread recipes? Check out my Gingerbread Fudge, Old-Fashioned Gingerbread, and my Gingerbread Cake Roll.
Ingredients you’ll need
Here’s a list of ingredients you’ll need to make these cookies. You can find my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list with their amounts.
- Unsalted butter: Room temperature.
- Light brown sugar
- Molasses or black treacle
- Large egg: Room temperature.
- Plain/all-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg
For the icing, you’ll need:
- Icing/powdered sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Golden syrup
How to make Gingerbread Men
To make these gingerbread cookies, simply grab a large mixing bowl and whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and molasses, and beat until combined.
Add the egg, and beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients, and mix until combined.
Divide the dough in half and shape into discs. Wrap each one in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. I like to chill mine overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4, and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
On a generously floured surface, roll 1 disc of dough until about 1/4-inch thick.
Cut into festive shapes, and place them onto the prepared baking tray. Re-roll any dough scraps to make more shapes. Repeat with the other dough disc.
Bake for 9 – 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the icing, grab a small bowl and stir together the icing sugar and milk until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and golden syrup until smooth and glossy.
Add food colouring, if desired. If the icing is too thick for your liking, add more milk, a little at a time.
Decorate cookies as desired, then allow to set.
The printable recipe card with the full list of ingredients, their measurements, and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.
NOTE: For best results, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup measurements. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough, and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
These Gingerbread Men are:
- super quick and easy to throw together
- deliciously crunchy with slightly soft/chewy centres
- perfectly spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg
- the BEST cookies to make for Christmas time!
How long will these cookies last? These cookies stay fresh kept in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Can I freeze these cookies? Yes, baked and decorated cookies freeze well for up to 3 months.
Alternatively, you can freeze the dough discs for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling, shaping, and baking.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Leave a ⭐️ review! I’d love to see your take on it — snap a photo and tag me on Instagram or Facebook with #simplybakeblog!
Try these cookies next!
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Melting Moments (Butter Cookies)
- Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mint Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Craving more sweet treats? Subscribe to my newsletter to receive recipe updates straight to your inbox. You can also keep up to date on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Gingerbread Men
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup (150g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (165g) molasses/black treacle
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 3 ¼ cups (400g) plain/all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Icing
- 1 cup (125g) icing/powdered sugar
- 3 teaspoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons golden syrup
Instructions
For the Cookies
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and molasses, and beat until combined.
- Add the egg, and beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients, and mix until combined.
- Divide the dough in half and shape into discs. Wrap each one in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. I like to chill mine overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4, and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
- On a generously floured surface, roll 1 disc of dough until about 1/4-inch thick.
- Cut into shapes, and place them onto the prepared baking tray. Re-roll any dough scraps to make more shapes. Repeat with the other dough disc.
- Bake for 9 – 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Icing
- In a small bowl, stir together the icing sugar and milk until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and golden syrup until smooth and glossy.
- Add food colouring, if desired. If icing is too thick, add more milk.
- Decorate cookies as desired, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Marsha,
Just came across your page today. It looks amazing. Cannot wait to try out the recipes.
Just wondering if this gingerbread recipe can be used to make and ice gingerbread houses?
Thanks
Hi Ann! Yes, this recipe can be used to make a gingerbread house.
These look wonderful and I’m eager to try them! I am wondering though, if there is another name for what you are listing as golden syrup? Unless you are referring to maple syrup?? Please advise. Thank you, Sjs
Thanks, Sandi! Yes, you can use maple syrup 🙂 I hope you enjoy!
Awww they look so sooo cute! I bet they taste just amazing, soft and fragrant. I must say I kinda love that last picture, the one with head bitten off. That’s the first thing I like to bite when I eat gingerbread man LOL 😀 I’m so evil… kidding 😉
Haha, I loved taking the photo! Thanks, Natalie! 😀
These have got to be the most perfect gingerbread men ever!! Love how adorable they are, Marsha! Totally gets me in the mood for the holidays. Side note: is it totally weird that I got a kick out of seeing the one with its head bitten off? Lol.
Haha, thanks Demeter! 🙂
Adorable gingerbread men! Cute pictures too! 🙂
Thanks, Vanessa!
You did such a good job decorating your gingerbread men! The frosting always gets away from me a little bit lol
Thanks, Shelby! 🙂
Those are so cute!
Kari
Thanks, Kari!
These look amazing! I’ve never chilled my gingerbread dough like that before. I do for other cookies, but not gingerbread. I think I need to start, though, becaue these came out perfectly. And that icing work is cute!
Thanks, Amanda!