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Gingerbread men cookies decorated with white royal icing zigzag lines and red and green candy buttons on a red scalloped plate
Luna Hossain

Gingerbread Men Cookies

Gingerbread men cookies — soft, spiced centers with sharp edges that hold their shape. Creamed butter method, double-chill technique, royal icing decoration included.
Calories: ~145 | Carbs: ~22g | Fat: ~6g | Protein: ~2g | Sugar: ~11g | Sodium: ~95mg
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 36 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Calories: 145
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • For the Dough
  • 3 cups 360g all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 tsp 6g baking soda
  • 2 tsp 5g ground ginger
  • 1½ tsp 4g ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp 0.5g ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp 0.5g ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp 3g fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup 170g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (65–68°F / 18–20°C)
  • ¾ cup 150g packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • ⅓ cup 110g unsulfured molasses — not blackstrap
  • 1 tsp 5ml pure vanilla extract
  • For the Royal Icing
  • 3 cups 360g powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tbsp 16g meringue powder
  • 5 –6 tbsp 75–90ml warm water, added 1 tablespoon at a time
  • ½ tsp 2.5ml pure vanilla extract
  • For Decoration
  • Red and green round candy-coated chocolate pieces such as M&M's Minis
  • White red, and green nonpareils

Equipment

  • Required:
  • Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a hand mixer with a large bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl (for dry ingredients)
  • Rolling Pin
  • Gingerbread man cookie cutter, 3.5–4 inches (9–10cm) — the size used in the photos
  • Light-colored aluminum half-sheet baking pan (18x13 inch / 46x33cm) — not dark non-stick
  • Parchment paper
  • Wire cooling rack
  • Piping bags or zip-lock bags with a small corner snipped off, for royal icing
  • Fine mesh sieve (for sifting powdered sugar)
  • Strongly recommended:
  • Kitchen scale
  • Oven thermometer
  • Optional but useful:
  • Thin offset spatula, for transferring cut shapes to the pan
  • ¼-inch (6mm) rolling guides or wooden dowels, for even dough thickness
  • Large mixing bowl (if using a hand mixer)

Method
 

  1. Step 1: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, and ½ tsp fine sea salt for 30 seconds until fully combined and no white pockets remain. Set aside.
  2. Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature and ¾ cup (150g) packed dark brown sugar on medium speed for 3 full minutes until the mixture is noticeably paler, fluffy, and increased in volume.
  3. Step 3: With the mixer on low, add 1 large room temperature egg and mix for 30 seconds until incorporated. Scrape the bowl. Add ⅓ cup (110g) unsulfured molasses and 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, increase to medium-low, and mix for 45 seconds until fully combined and glossy.
  4. Step 4: With the mixer on its lowest speed, add the flour mixture in three equal additions, mixing only until no dry streaks remain after the final addition. Stop the mixer immediately. Do not overmix.
  5. Step 5: Scrape the dough onto plastic wrap, flatten into a 1-inch (2.5cm) disc, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
  6. Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and position a rack in the middle. Line a light-colored aluminum half-sheet baking pan with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough to ¼ inch (6mm) thickness. Cut shapes with a 3.5–4 inch gingerbread man cutter, transfer to the prepared pan spacing 1.5 inches (4cm) apart, and keep the remaining dough refrigerated.
  7. Step 7: Slide the pan of cut shapes into the freezer for 10–15 minutes or the refrigerator for 20–25 minutes before baking. Do not skip this step — this second chill is what preserves the sharp edge definition during baking.
  8. Step 8: Bake at 350°F (175°C) on the middle rack for 9–11 minutes, until the edges look set and the center surface just looks dry with no wet sheen. The centers will look slightly underdone — pull the pan at this moment and do not wait for them to look fully done.
  9. Step 9: Leave the cookies on the hot pan for exactly 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely — at least 30 minutes — before decorating.
  10. Step 10: For the royal icing, whisk 2 tbsp (16g) meringue powder and 5 tbsp (75ml) warm water for 30 seconds until dissolved and slightly foamy. Sift in 3 cups (360g) powdered sugar in two additions, stirring between each. Add ½ tsp pure vanilla extract and stir to combine. Adjust consistency with additional water ½ tsp at a time or additional sifted powdered sugar 1 tbsp at a time until the icing falls in a slow, thick ribbon and settles flat within 8–10 seconds.
  11. Step 11: Transfer icing to a piping bag with a 2mm opening. Pipe zigzag lines along arms, waist, and legs, dot eyes, and a curved smile. Immediately press red candy pieces at the nose position and green candy pieces as buttons before the icing begins to set. Allow decorated cookies to dry at room temperature for a minimum of 1 hour before stacking.

Notes

Use unsulfured molasses only — not blackstrap, which is more bitter and more acidic and will overpower the spice blend.
Butter must be softened to 65–68°F (18–20°C) — press your finger in and it should leave a clean indent without feeling greasy.
Two chilling stages required: 2+ hours for dough disc; 10–15 min freezer (or 20–25 min fridge) for cut shapes on pan before baking.
Weigh your flour — 360g for 3 cups. Scooping directly from the bag adds up to 30g extra per cup and produces dry, crumbly cookies.
Check baking soda freshness: ½ tsp baking soda + 1 tsp white vinegar should bubble vigorously. Replace if it does not.
Spice freshness matters — ground ginger and cinnamon older than 12–18 months will produce flat-tasting cookies.
Use meringue powder for the royal icing, not raw egg whites — pasteurized, more stable, and humidity-resistant.
Store in a lidded hard-sided container with parchment between layers at room temperature up to 5 days.
Make-ahead: dough keeps refrigerated up to 48 hours or frozen up to 3 months; thaw overnight in fridge before rolling.
Freeze baked undecorated cookies individually wrapped for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature still wrapped.
Dough freezes well for up to 3 months — thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.
To double: double all ingredients. Bake time does not change. Leavening doubles linearly for this recipe.
Contains: gluten, eggs, dairy.
High altitude (above 3,500ft / 1,065m): reduce baking soda by ¼ tsp and increase oven temperature by 15°F (8°C).