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Gingerbread Man Cookies

My Gingerbread Man Cookies have the perfect blend of sweet and spicy, with a slightly moist, dense texture to the cookie. The combination of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom create a warm and aromatic cookie that is comforting and enticing for the holiday season. These cookies are more on the soft and chewy spectrum, as opposed to super crispy and crunchy. You can add the decorative icing or candies for extra sweetness and fun or enjoy them as is!

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
Servings: 25 cookies
Calories: 189 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 Tbsp. ground ginger
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
  • 3/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup molasses I used Grandmas unsulphured Molasses
  • 2 Tbsp. milk
Decorative icing
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. milk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

Directions
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt & set aside.
  2. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or hand mixer, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when needed.
  3. Mix in the egg yolk (not with the egg white, just yolk) and vanilla extract.
  4. Then mix in the molasses and milk.
  5. With mixer set on low speed slowly and gradually add in the dry ingredients.
  6. Mix until combined.
  7. Form the dough into a disk on a lightly floured work surface and divide the dough into four equal portions.
  8. At this point, you need to chill the dough and you have 2 options. The first option is a longer chill time, second option is quicker: 1. Form each portion into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours or overnight. Once dough is chilled you can roll it out on a floured surface (flour the rolling pin lightly too) and cut into shapes; continue baking as directed below. OR option 2. Roll out each portion of dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper (about 1/2-inch thickness) and transfer the parchment paper and dough to a baking sheet. Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until firm. Then continue baking as directed below.
  9. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a few sheet pans with parchment paper.
  10. Cut into shapes using a gingerbread man cookie cutter (or whatever shape you’d prefer: stars, stockings, etc. (Pro tip: cut with a floured gingerbread man cookie cutter).
  11. Transfer to prepared cookie sheets, spacing cookies about 1-inch apart, and bake in preheated oven 9-11 minutes or until slightly set.
  12. Remove cookies oven and cool on baking sheet 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  13. Re-form the dough scraps into a ball, roll it out and repeat. I only recommend to re-form the dough scraps only twice (three times maximum) because overworked dough might have too much extra flour added to it, which would make the cookies drier, denser, and harder.
  14. If decorating with icing, combine the icing ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Decorate using a piping bag using a #2 decorating tip. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Be sure to cool completely and store in an airtight container. Wait until the icing has hardened before storing. They will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.
  • If you plan to freeze the cookies, it's best to do so before decorating them. Icing and decorations can become messy once thawed. Freeze cookies for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw then decorate!

Nutrition Information

Serving 1cookie Calories 189kcal (9%) Carbohydrates 34g (11%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 5g (8%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Cholesterol 8mg (3%) Sodium 143mg (6%) Potassium 143mg (4%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 21g (42%) Vitamin A 227IU (5%) Vitamin C 0.1mg (0%) Calcium 42mg (4%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 25cookies

Amount Per Serving

Calories 189

% Daily Value*

Serving 1cookie
Calories 189kcal 9%
Carbohydrates 34g 11%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 5g 8%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 8mg 3%
Sodium 143mg 6%
Potassium 143mg 3%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 21g 42%
Vitamin A 227IU 5%
Vitamin C 0.1mg 0%
Calcium 42mg 4%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.