Gingerbread Men Cookies

Prep 1 hr 30 min
Total 2 hr 40 min
Servings 30

It’s not the holidays until the warming aromas of cinnamon, cloves and ginger are wafting through your kitchen—and if you agree, we think you’ve stumbled upon the perfect recipe! These crispy cookies are iconic in looks and taste and provide a blank canvas ready for all sorts of festive decorations. And since decorating is the best part, you might want to round up some little bakers to get in on the Christmas magic. Pipe on cute-as-a-button faces or use candies to dress up your cookies, however you choose to gussy them up—the simple act of decorating will get everyone in the Christmas spirit! MORE+ LESS-

Updated December 10, 2019

Ingredients

1 1/2

cups granulated sugar

cup butter, softened

tablespoons molasses

tablespoons water or milk

egg

3 1/4

cups all-purpose flour

teaspoons baking soda

teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2

teaspoons ground ginger

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/2

teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2

teaspoon ground cloves

Currants or assorted candies, if desired

Colored sugar or additional sugar, if desired

Steps

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1

In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, butter and molasses with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until well mixed. Beat in water and egg until blended. Stir in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cardamom and cloves. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.
2

Heat oven to 350°F. Roll 1/3 of dough at a time on floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. (Keep remaining dough refrigerated until ready to roll.) Cut with floured 2 1/2-inch gingerbread boy or girl cookie cutters. On ungreased cookie sheets, place cutouts 1 inch apart. Decorate with currants or candies. Sprinkle with colored sugar.
3

Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack; cool.

Expert Tips

Place the tiny candies or sprinkles onto the unbaked cookies with clean tweezers.
Store these gingerbread cookies in a covered container.
We bet you’re wondering if you actually need to chill the dough for an hour in the fridge, and the answer is … yes! Chilling your dough before rolling it out will make rolling and cutting much easier and less messy—which is particularly important if you have little hands helping.
Try decorating your cute cutouts with a piping bag or sprinkle on red and green sugar for a festive look. Tiny candies work well for eyes or as buttons.
Gingerbread freezes well. If you’re anticipating a hectic holiday season, bake a batch now, wrap them up and store in your freezer for up to two months.