Gingerbread Men

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 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.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and hashtag it #simplybakeblog. I’d love to see!

Try these cookies next!

• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Melting Moments (Butter Cookies)
• Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Mint Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

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