If you’re looking for a simple but delicious gingerbread cookie, this is it! These come together so easily and they’re perfect for rolling and cutting!
My Gingerbread Man Story
The year was 1975. I was sixteen. I went to my friend’s house to make gingerbread cookies for the holidays. Her mom showed us just what to do.
What happened next was kind of a blur. I remember getting sick. VERY sick. The night following our cookie-making extravaganza was rough. It didn’t take long to figure out I was having an allergic reaction to something in the cookies.
In the years since I’ve confirmed that I am allergic to ginger. (I also have a variety of other food allergies, including pumpkin, butternut squash, and shellfish).
That’s why I haven’t had a gingerbread cookie recipe on this blog. . .until now. I proceeded with great caution, and even opted to use pumpkin pie spice (which contains minimal amounts of ginger). And of course I couldn’t eat any of these. I had to pass them to the grandkids for their input on taste and texture. Thank goodness, the cookies got rave reviews!
So, let’s dive right in and make some Gingerbread Man Cookies!
Gingerbread Man Cookie Ingredients
You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a peek at what you’ll need. These are simple ingredients you probably already have on hand in your kitchen or refrigerator.
For the cookies:
- 1/2 cup room temperature butter (salted or unsalted, your choice)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large room temperature egg yolk
- 1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the icing:
- 1/4 cup room temperature butter
- 1-2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
How to Make Gingerbread Men Cookies
These come together so easily!
Make sure you have a gingerbread man cookie cutter before you begin.
Place spices, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour in a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
Place your room temperature butter in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Cream until light in color (a couple minutes).
Add brown sugar and continue to mix.
Now work in the egg yolk and molasses. Mix until it comes together.
Slowly work in the flour mixture, mixing at low speed.
Place the dough in a baggie and flatten it like you see in the picture.
Place in the fridge for 2-3 hours or place in the freezer for half an hour, until chilled.
Once chilled, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
To roll out the dough: I use doubled paint sticks on either side of my dough to ensure the cookies are even but you can use a fondant roller with measuring rings if you like.
The goal here is to make sure you end up with a cookie that’s about 1/3 – 1/2 inch in depth and level all the way across.
Place on parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes or until set.
Remove tray from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
After about 10 minutes transfer directly to rack to continue cooling.
Make the frosting: Combine room temperature butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
Place in piping bag with a #2 tip (or simply clip the end off of the bag and skip the tip). Grab some sprinkles if you like!
Pipe the cookies in any design you like.
Serve and enjoy!
Store leftover cookies in airtight container at room temperature.
Variations on this Recipe
Not a fan of molasses? No worries. You can use my cut-out sugar cookie recipe to make gingerbread men. Just substitute brown sugar for white and add spices.
Gingerbread house design: You can use this recipe to make gingerbread house pieces. Just make sure you chill it (or freeze it) long enough to hold its shape. If you find that the dough is too soft or pliable, add an additional quarter cup of flour to stiffen things up.
Out of pumpkin pie spice? Use ginger, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg (a half teaspoon each).
More Christmas Cookies from Out of the Box Baking
Enjoy these fan favorites!
- Simple Christmas Crinkle Cookies
- Christmas Cookie Exchange Recipes
- Snowballs (Mexican Wedding Cookies)
- Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Old-Fashioned Butter Cookies
- Double Mint Chocolate Cookies
That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe.
If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you’re at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!
See this recipe at
About the Author
Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 165 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.
Simple Gingerbread Man Cookies Recipe
If you’re looking for a simple but delicious gingerbread cookie, this is it! These come together so easily and they’re perfect for rolling and cutting!
Ingredients
- For the cookies:
- 1/2 cup room temperature butter (salted or unsalted, your choice)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large room temperature egg yolk
- 1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- For the icing:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 -2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make sure you have a gingerbread man cookie cutter before you begin.
- Place spices, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour in a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
- Place your room temperature butter in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Cream until light in color (a couple minutes).
- Add brown sugar and continue to mix.
- Now work in the egg yolk and molasses. Mix until it comes together.
Slowly work in the flour mixture, mixing at low speed. - Place the dough in a baggie and flatten it like you see in the picture.
- Place in the fridge for 2-3 hours or place in the freezer for half an hour, until chilled.
- Once chilled, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- To roll out the dough: I use doubled paint sticks on either side of my dough to ensure the cookies are even but you can use a fondant roller with measuring rings if you like. The goal here is to make sure you end up with a cookie that’s about 1/3 - 1/2 inch in depth and level all the way across.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until set.
- Remove tray from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
- After about 10 minutes transfer directly to rack to continue cooling.
- Make the frosting: Combine room temperature butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Place in piping bag with a #2 tip (or simply clip the end off of the bag and skip the tip).
- Pipe the cookies in any design you like.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Store leftover cookies in airtight container at room temperature.