Nothing says the holidays like the sweet aroma of freshly baked Classic Gingerbread Men Cookies filling your home!
These festive treats are spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to create a warm and cozy flavor that’s perfect for the season. They're easy to make and fun to decorate with the family!
Looking for more festive treats? Explore our collection of Christmas Cookies to make your holiday season even sweeter!
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This gingerbread recipe combines classic holiday flavors with a bit of sweetness. Whether you're baking gingerbread men, snowflakes, or stars, these cookies are as much fun to decorate as they are to eat.
Gather your ingredients and cookie cutters, and let’s bake some holiday cheer!
Looking for more easy cookie recipes for the holidays? Try my Traditional Christmas Cookies, or my Italian Christmas Cookies. Yum!
Table of Contents
- Troubleshooting Your Dough: Tips for Successful Cutout Cookies
- Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Recipe Ingredients
- Substitutions and Variations
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- Kitchen Tool Spotlight
- Baking Instructions
- Quick Tip
- LOVE this recipe? SAVE it for Later!
- Recipe FAQ
- Storage and Reheating Instructions
- More Recipes You'll Love!
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 💬 Comments
Troubleshooting Your Dough: Tips for Successful Cutout Cookies
- Refrigerating the dough for at least 30 minutes is essential for cleaner cookie cutter shapes. If the dough becomes too soft while cutting, pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- To prevent sticking, roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. This also makes cleanup a breeze!
- The dough can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling and cutting.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
SurgeHai Cookie Cutters Set of 3, Gingerbread Man Cookie Cutter Tools
HONGBAKE Baking Sheet Pan Set, Cookie Sheets for Oven, Nonstick Half/Quarter/Jelly Roll Pans with Diamond Texture Pattern, Heavy Duty Cookie TraySilpat The Original Perfect Cookie Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat, 11-⅝M&M'S Milk Chocolate Candy, Family Size, 18 oz Resealable Bulk Candy Bag
Recipe Ingredients
Below is a quick preview of the ingredients you’ll need. For exact amounts, check the recipe card below. You can also use the "Shopping List button" to create a printable shopping list, or the "Get Ingredients button" in the recipe card to order groceries online.
Substitutions and Variations
- I used turbinado sugar in this recipe, but you could also use the same amount of granulated sugar.
- For more of a molasses flavor, I used dark brown sugar, but you can use light brown sugar instead.
- You can substitute water or milk for the lemon juice in the icing recipe.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Beat the butter, brown sugar, and turbinado sugar together.
Step 2: Add the corn syrup and beat for another minute to incorporate.
Step 3: Sift the flour, spices, and baking soda together then add to the butter mixture.
Step 4: Mix in the flour until a soft dough forms. The dough shouldn't be sticky.
Kitchen Tool Spotlight
Roll the cookie dough out between 2 sheets of parchment paper to keep from having to add extra flour to your recipe. Place the sheet of dough with the parchment paper still on both sides in the refrigerator to chill before cutting into shapes.
Step 5: Roll the dough out to ¼-inch thick in between two pieces of parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 6: When ready to bake, cut shapes out of the dough and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Baking Instructions
Step 7: Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 10-12 minutes, then cool for 10 more minutes.
Step 8: Make the icing to decorate with by whisking the powdered sugar with the lemon juice.
Quick Tip
For piping details, aim for a thicker icing. If spreading, a slightly thinner consistency works better.
Step 9: Decorate the gingerbread cookies with the icing, mini M&M's, and sprinkles.
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Recipe FAQ
To view the answers, simply click on the down arrow (⬇) next to each question. If you have any other questions not answered here, please leave a comment!
Gingerbread cookies are typically soft and chewy, while ginger snaps are crisp and crunchy with a more pronounced ginger flavor. Although they differ in texture, they both can made into shapes, blending the two.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Pantry: Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Decorated cookies should be stacked with parchment paper between layers to protect the icing.
Freezer: Make sure the icing is fully set and dry before placing the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flash freeze for about 1-2 hours, or until the cookies are firm. Once frozen, transfer the cookies to an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Place parchment paper between layers to prevent the cookies from sticking.
Thaw: Remove the cookies from the container and let them sit at room temperature for a couple of hours.
More Recipes You'll Love!
Check out my other recipe for Gingerbread Cookies dipped in white chocolate. Or you might like this recipe for Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies with Eggnog Frosting.
📖 Recipe Card
Gingerbread Men Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar (or granulated sugar)
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Method
- Cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together.
- Add the corn syrup and beat for another minute.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and spices together. Add to the butter mixture.
- Knead until a soft and non-sticky dough forms.
- Roll the dough out to ¼-inch thick in between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Take the sheet of dough out of the refrigerator, and remove the parchment paper. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, then cool for another 10 minutes.
- To make the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. If necessary, add a little more lemon juice or powdered sugar to achieve the desired thickness of icing.
- Decorate the gingerbread cookies with icing, mini M&M's, and sprinkles.
Nutrition
Notes
- If you don't have turbinado sugar, swap it out for granulated sugar.
- For more of a molasses flavor, I used dark brown sugar, but you can use light brown sugar instead.
- You can substitute water or milk for the lemon juice in the icing recipe.
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