Gingerbread Man Cookies are spiced festive cookies that balance well with ginger’s sweet and spicy aroma. Their characteristic shape of gingerbread man along with flavor and aroma, make them popular with kids. Cookies are perfect for Christmas, parties, or even just a great treat to have with friends and family. The spiced flavor of these cookies baking fills the home with warmth and aroma. Learn to make Gingerbread man cookies with step by step pictures.
With sprinkles and colorful icing, gingerbread men can be decorated creatively. Icing on these cookies makes them not only appealing but also special. These cookies can serve as great homemade presents. A box of decorated gingerbread men would light up anyone’s spirit. Do try and enjoy these festive special cookies.
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About Gingerbread Man Cookies
Gingerbread men cookies are made with a mixture of flour, butter, warm and aromatic spices, and honey. Gingerbread cookies are delicious butter biscuits carved into the shape of a gingerbread man using a cookie cutter with royal icing on top. This is one of my favorite cookies as it has a deep spices flavor.
The special blend of warm spices makes the cookies special. Since these cookies can retain their freshness for many days, they make an ideal gift for Christmas. Gingerbread man cookies are a great excuse to gather everyone around.
Decorating and baking them is not only a joyous past time but also a cherished tradition for families to relish together during the winter. Beyond baking, cookies provide ample opportunity to express creativity and spend delightful hours in the kitchen making memories.
Baking gingerbread men cookies had been on my wish list for a long time. Even after my sister gifted me a set of Christmas-themed cookie cutters, it took me nearly two years to finally try the recipe. I had used the cutters for other cookies, but somehow never made gingerbread men until now. This year, I decided not to wait any longer. After practicing icing on sugar cookies, I finally baked and decorated these adorable gingerbread men, and it felt so rewarding to see them all finished and know I’d finally made them.
Gingerbread Man Cookies Ingredients
- Flour – I have used maida or all purpose flour here which gives the cookies a soft, sturdy texture that’s perfect for shaping and decorating. You can use whole wheat flour too.
- Brown sugar – Adds sweetness and a deep caramel flavor, powdered jaggery can substitute brown sugar.
- Honey – Brings natural sweetness and helps the dough come together. Maple syrup can also be used as substitute.
- Unsalted butter – Makes the cookies rich and tasty. Soft, room-temperature butter is best for mixing. I have used homemade butter, you can use store bought too.
- Baking powder and Baking soda – Acts as rising agents and help the cookies rise and keep them light and crisp.
- Salt – Balances the sweetness and added for taste.
- Spice powders – Ginger powder, cinnamon powder, clove powder, nutmeg powder, black pepper powder and cardamom powders are used for the cookies. These spice powders gives the cookies warm and spiced flavor.
- Icing sugar – Used for making royal icing to decorate the cookies. You can substitute with finely powdered sugar if icing sugar is not available.
- Corn flour – Helps to thicken the icing and gives it a smooth finish.
- Lemon juice – Adds a slight tang to the icing and balances the sweetness.
- Milk – Used to adjust the consistency of the icing for easy decorating.
Similar Recipes
- Gingerbread Man Cookies
- Ginger Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Fruit and Nut Cookies
- Candy Cane Cookies
How to make Gingerbread Man Cookies Step by Step
1.Take brown sugar in a mixer and powder it fine. Now take butter and sugar in a bowl.
2.Beat them well until creamy. I used chilled butter so it took sometime for me to get this creamy texture. Now add honey and beat it again for 2 minutes.
3.Now measure and keep your spice powders ready. Add it to the flour along with baking powder and baking soda.
4.Sieve it twice for even mixing. Now add the flour to the creamed butter sugar mixture. Mix well with your hands to form a smooth non sticky dough.
5.Cling wrap it and refrigerate it at least for an hour. Now take a portion of the dough and roll it on a butter paper, to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut shapes with the cookie cutter.
6.Carefully take the gingerbread men an place it on the baking tray lined with butter paper. Now scrap the extras and repeat the process. Preheat oven at 180 deg C for 10 minutes. Leave good spacing between the cookies as it grows in size.
7.Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are nicely browned. Cool down on wire rack and bake the next batch. Cool down completely and then store.
8.Now for the royal icing take icing sugar in a mixing bowl, add corn flour.
9.Mix it well using a whisk. Now add lemon juice and mix well. Add milk little by little.
10.And form a smooth slightly thin paste. The consistency should be thick but flowing as shown below. Divide the icing into equal portions in different bowls, then add few drops of food colors in each bowl for get the required color. I wanted white green and red so added colors accordingly. Now makes 3 cones and add the prepared icing into each of the cones separately.
11.Seal the open ends completely, I used cello tape and sealed it. Now your cones are ready. Just cut the tip of the icing bag to get a fine line for decorating. Be creative and decorate your cookies. By now the cookies must have cooled down so start decorating the cookies.
Cool down and store in airtight container.
Expert Tips
- Brown sugar gives a rich, deep flavor – you can use jaggery if you prefer, but make sure it is clean and free from impurities.
- If you don’t have a gingerbread man cutter – use any shape you like; stars, hearts, or circles work well too.
- For perfect icing – adjust the consistency with milk or icing sugar until it’s thick but still flows smoothly.
- Keep tools ready – this makes decorating and cleaning up much easier.
- If your cookies are different thicknesses – bake the thicker ones separately from the thinner ones for even results.
- If the dough feels sticky – dust it lightly with flour, but don’t add too much or the cookies may turn chewy.
- Let the cookies cool down completely before decorating – this helps the icing set nicely and not melt.
- Chill the dough before rolling and cutting – this helps the cookies hold their shape better while baking.
- Don’t crowd the cookies – leave space as they will spread a little while baking.
- Roll the dough thin – thick cookies may not cook properly and could turn chewy.
- Store the cookie – it keeps well for up to a month, so you can bake fresh cookies anytime.
- Use a small hole in your icing cone – it helps you decorate neatly, as the hole can get bigger while icing.
Serving and Storage
Serve gingerbread man cookies as a festive treat during holidays, at parties, or as a snack with coffee. They’re also great for gifting, just pack them in a pretty box or jar.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They stay fresh and crisp for up to a week. The cookie dough can be wrapped and kept in the fridge for up to a month, so you can bake fresh cookies whenever you like.
FAQS
1. Can I use jaggery instead of brown sugar?
Yes, you can use powdered jaggery, but ensure it’s clean and free from impurities.
2. What if I don’t have a gingerbread man cookie cutter?
You can use any cookie-cutter shape, like stars, hearts, or circles.
3. How do I know when the cookies are done?
The edges should be nicely browned. They may feel soft right out of the oven but will harden as they cool.
4. Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes, you can make the dough in advance and keep it wrapped in the fridge for up to a month.
5. My icing is too thick or thin. What should I do?
If it’s too thick, add a little milk; if it’s too thin, add more icing sugar until you get the right consistency.
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📖 Recipe Card
Gingerbread Cookies Recipe | Gingerbread Man Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups maida + to dust
- 1/4 cup demerera sugar tightly packed
- 1/4 cup honey
- 50 grams unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
SPICES:
- 1/2 tablespoon dry ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1/4 teaspoon clove powder
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
ROYAL ICING :
- 1/4 cup icing sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon cornflour
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 to 2 teaspoon milk
Instructions
Making Cookies:
- Take brown sugar in a mixer and powder it fine. Now take butter and sugar in a bowl.
- Beat them well until creamy. I used chilled butter so it took sometime for me to get this creamy texture.
- Now add honey and beat it again for 2mins.
- Now measure and keep your spice powders ready. Add it to the flour along with baking powder and baking soda.
- Sieve it twice for even mixing. Now add the flour to the creamed butter sugar mixture. Mix well with your hands to form a smooth non-sticky dough.
- Cling wrap it and refrigerate it at least for an hr.
- Now take a portion of the dough and roll it on a butter paper, to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut shapes with the cookie cutter.
- Carefully take the gingerbread men an place it on the baking tray lined with butter paper. Now scrap the extras and repeat the process.
- Preheat oven at 180 deg C for 10mins.Leave good spacing between the cookies as it grows in size.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 mins or until the edges are nicely browned.
- Cool down on wire rack and bake the next batch. Cool down completely and then store.
Making Icing:
- Now for the royal icing take icing sugar in a mixing bowl, add corn flour.
- Mix it well using a whisk. Now add lemon juice and mix well. Now add milk little by little.
- And form a smooth slightly thin paste. The consistency should be thick but flowing. Divide the icing into equal portions in different bowls, then add few drops of food colors in each bowl for get the required color. I wanted white green and red so added colors accordingly.
- Now makes 3 cones and add the prepared icing into each of the cones separately.
- Seal the open ends completely, I used cello tape and sealed it. Now your cones are ready.
Icing the cookies:
- Just cut the tip of the icing bag to get a fine line for decorating. Be creative and decorate your cookies. By now the cookies must have cooled down so start decorating the cookies.
- Cool down and store Gingerbread Cookies in airtight container.
Notes
- You can replace brown sugar with jaggery but I prefer adding brown sugar as adding jaggery as such will have impurities. Jaggery we get here is known for impurities so its better that we make syrup and add it but am not sure of the syrup measures so to be on the safer side chose to use brown sugar.
- If you don’t have the gingerbread men cookie cutter, don’t worry you can make any preferred shape of your choice.
- You can adjust the consistency of this icing….If you need to thin the icing add a bit of milk and mix till you get the desired consistency. If you need it thicker, add more icing sugar as required.
- Keep all your required things on your work area so that its easier to grab things and also clean it later.
- If you find cookies uneven in thickness, bake the thicker cookies in a batch and the thinner cookies in another batch.
- The prepared icing thickens with time so its better to have a slightly runny flowing icing.
- As we need icing for just outline you may not require much of icing but if you prepare to fill the cookies with icing then you can double the ingredients and make the icing.
- When you bake for 8-10 mins the cookies are crunchy but 12 mins was perfect for me as it yielded crispy cookies. Soon after the cookies are baked, it will be soft to touch but after cooling down it will harden.
- This cookie dough keeps well for even a month , just cling wrap it and refrigerate it. And whenever you want to bake, you can unwrap, cut them and bake the cookies.
- While rolling if it sticks dust flour but don’t overdo.
- Make sure to roll thin else your cookies will not get cooked properly and it will become chewy.
- If you feel the dough is a little loose add 1 or 2 tablespoon flour and knead it. But don’t add more flour as it might make the cookies chewy in texture.
- Cool down completely before decorating the cookies.
- While arranging the cookies in the tray don’t crowd them, just give nice spacing as the cookies grows slightly.
- I usually keep the prepared baking tray in fridge till preheating time, this avoids the cookies from spreading.
- I used normal plastic covers to prepare the cone, you can even use zip lock covers. Make sure to cut a small hole as it tends to get bigger once we start doing the icing.
jayasri venkatesh
Wow…Super. … Surprise gift for mittu. ..looking Gr8.
Sheela Balamurugan
I'm speechless.. stunning effort by you.. so dedicated Sharmi you are..nice picutures, clear notes, etc..etc…God bless you and Merry Christmas!!!
Divs
Iam loving these tiny and vibrant cookies and with the icing they are too cute. these cookies sure need lot of effort and patience! fabulous effort!
Vaishnavi
Stunning effort. I esp like your icings. You play with colors in a lovely way. Both in this and sugar cookies
Roh
Can I use powdered jaggery ?wat is the quantity to be used ?
SHARMILEE J
You can try with same 1/4 cup measure
amianeesh
I love your recipes; your eggless vanilla cake and carrot cake are already superhit at home. God bless!
Was wondering: can we replace the normal flour with wholewheat flour?
amianeesh
Love the eggless recipes for vanilla & carrot cake – already superhits at home. God bless!
Can we replace all purpose flour with wholewheat flour and honey with jaggery syrup? Thanks a lot!
amianeesh
Can we use wholewheat flour and jaggery syrup as replacement for all purpose flour and honey? Thanks and God bless!
SHARMILEE J
You can replace with whole wheat flour…jaggery syrup am not really sure
sara
i am not having icing sugar shall i use normal sugar powder instead of icing?
SHARMILEE J
Yes you can powder normal sugar and add it