Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Men

There is nothing quite like the smell of gingerbread baking to make the house feel like Christmas. These old-fashioned gingerbread men are rich with molasses and warm spices, sturdy enough to decorate and hang on the tree, but still tender enough to enjoy with a glass of cold milk.

Decorate them simply with white icing buttons and smiles, or go all out with candy and colored icing. Pair them with our Frosted Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs for a classic cookie-decorating afternoon, and see all our Holiday Delights.

Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Men

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Warmly spiced, molasses-rich gingerbread men with crisp edges and a slightly soft center, decorated with simple piped icing. A nostalgic Christmas cookie that fills the house with the smell of ginger, cinnamon and cloves.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Chill Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Servings: 24 cookies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

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For the Gingerbread

• 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened (1 1/2 sticks)
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses not blackstrap
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Icing

• 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• mini candies or raisins optional, for buttons and eyes

Method

 

Make and Chill the Dough

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with a mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the molasses and vanilla. The mixture may look a little curdled; that is fine.
3. Add the flour mixture in two additions and mix on low until a soft dough forms. Divide it in half, flatten into disks, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Cut and Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Roll one disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out gingerbread men and place them 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Re-roll the scraps once.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes: 8 minutes for softer cookies, 10 for crisper ones. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Decorate

1. Whisk the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and vanilla until very thick and smooth, adding milk a few drops at a time only if needed. It should hold a line when piped.
2. Spoon the icing into a piping bag or a zip-top bag with a tiny corner snipped off. Pipe on faces, buttons and trim, pressing in candies while the icing is wet. Let the icing set for about 2 hours.

Notes

Use regular molasses: unsulphured (mild or robust) molasses gives the best flavor. Blackstrap molasses is too bitter for these cookies.

Ornaments: to hang cookies on the tree, poke a hole near the top of each with a straw before baking.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. The dough freezes well for up to 3 months.

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