Gingerbread Men Cookies
These adorable and festive gingerbread men cookies are perfect for the holidays - at parties or as a cookie exchange. They are sweet, spicy and fully customizable in their decorations.
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Piping Bag
- Mixing bowl
- Hand or Stand Mixer
- Spatula or Spoon
- measuring cups
- Measuring Spoon
- Gingerbread man cookie cutter
- cookie sheet
Ingredients
Gingerbread Men Cookies
- .75 Cups Softened Butter
- .75 Cups Brown Sugar light or dark
- .5 Cups Molasses
- 1 Whole Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Cups Flour
- 2 teaspoon Ginger
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- .5 teaspoon Nutmeg
- .5 teaspoon Salt
Icing
- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar divided
- 2 tablespoon Meringue Powder
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract divided
- .5 - .75 Cups Water divided
- 2 tablespoon Corn Syrup
- Red Ball Sprinkles
Instructions
Gingerbread Men Cookies
- If needed, grease the cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add .75 cups of brown sugar and .75 cups of softened butter to the mixing bowl. Cream them together at medium high speed for 2 - 3 minutes until smooth and well combined.
- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 egg and .5 cup of molasses in the mixing bowl. Mix at medium speed for a minute or until combined completely.
- Add 3 cups of flour, 2 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and baking soda, .5 teaspoon nutmeg and salt in a separate bowl. Then, turn the mixer on medium low speed and slowly add the dry ingredients. Continue mixing until well combined.
- Chill dough for 10 minutes in freezer.
- Remove dough from freezer, spread a thin layer of flour on the counter. Roll dough into a ½ - ⅝ inch thick sheet and use cookie cutter to cut cookies. Pull scraps together, reroll and recut until all dough has been used.
- Place cookies on baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes or until edges are firm.
Icing
- Add 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoon meringue powder and 1 teaspoon vanilla into the mixing bowl and mix at low speed for 30 seconds.
- Add in 3 teaspoon of water and mix on medium speed for 2 - 3 minutes or until it becomes stiff.
- Transfer this icing to a new bowl.
- In the empty mixing bowl, add 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoon of water, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 2 tablespoon corn syrup. Whisk together on low until well combined.
- Combine the two bowls of icing by whisking them together until smooth.
- Scoop some icing up and drop it into the bowl, it should re-combine in 12 - 15 seconds. Too fast - add more sugar, too slow - add more water.
Decorating cookies
- After cookies have cooled, transfer the icing to a piping bag and snip the tip off.
- Add icing dots for the eyes, a "U" for the mouth, zig zags on the arms and legs and three dots down the center. Use the three dots of icing down the center to secure three red ball sprinkles.
- Allow icing to harden (for about an hour) before moving or stacking cookies.
Notes
Tips
- Correct Icing Consistency - thin icing will run off the cookies and thick icing won't go on properly. If it re-incorporates faster than 12 seconds, its thin and you need to add sugar. If it re-incorporates slower than 15 seconds, its too thick and you need to add water.
- Chill the dough - this dough does need to be chilled, otherwise you the cookies won't hold their shape well after rolling, cutting and baking. 10 - 20 minutes in the freezer is enough time.
- Even thickness - when rolling the dough out, make sure the dough is an even thickness throughout so that the cookies bake at the same rate.
- Don't overbake them - they will get too hard and crunchy if overcooked. Make sure that you remove the cookies from the oven when the centers are still soft.
- Storage - keep them for 3 - 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container or freeze for up to a year.
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Nutrition information provided is just an estimate and may vary based on specific ingredients used.