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Best Gingerbread Men Cookies

These gingerbread men cookies make the cutest addition to your Christmas cookie tray. Pipe plain or colored icing onto your gingerbread men, or decorate with raisins, currants, or cinnamon red hot candies for eyes and buttons.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings 24 people

Equipment

  • 1 Electric Mixer For creaming butter and sugar efficiently.
  • 2 Large Mixing Bowls One for dry ingredients, one for wet.
  • 1 Rolling Pin For achieving an even dough thickness.
  • 1 Gingerbread Man Cookie Cutter A 5-inch cutter is recommended.
  • 2 Baking Sheets Ungreased, for baking the cookies.

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
  • 2 teaspoons McCormick Ground Ginger
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon McCormick Ground Nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup butter softened
  • ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup molasses
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract

Instructions
 

  • Gather the ingredients. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt in large bowl. Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg, and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Press dough into a thick, flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with a 5-inch cookie cutter. Place gingerbread men 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Bake in the preheated oven until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days. DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS

Notes

Ensure your spices are fresh for the most vibrant flavor. The lengthy chilling time for the dough is crucial for ease of rolling and preventing spread during baking; do not skip or shorten it. When rolling, aim for uniform 1/4-inch thickness to ensure even baking. Avoid overmixing the flour once added, as it can develop gluten and lead to tough cookies. Bake only until the edges are just set and lightly browned to maintain a tender interior. For decorating, royal icing offers a crisp finish, or for a simpler touch, a basic glaze works well. Get creative with different sprinkles or candies.