Description
This classic Gingerbread Men recipe creates perfectly spiced, soft, and chewy cookies that are ideal for holiday baking. With a blend of warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, combined with rich molasses and brown sugar, these cookies are both flavorful and festive. The dough is chilled for optimal texture before rolling and baking to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour properly measured
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses not blackstrap
- 1 large egg at room temperature
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Cream Butter: In a separate large bowl, use a stand mixer or hand mixer to cream the softened unsalted butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add Sugar and Vanilla: Add the dark brown sugar and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and beat together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Incorporate Molasses and Egg: Beat in the unsulphured molasses and the large egg until the mixture is well-combined and smooth.
- Combine Dry and Wet: Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture in a few batches, mixing until the dough forms a cohesive mass. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula between additions to ensure thorough mixing.
- Divide and Chill Dough: Divide the dough into two equal-sized balls, flatten each into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight to firm up.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 to 3 baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking during baking.
- Roll and Cut Cookies: Working with one dough disc at a time, roll it out on a well-floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness, keeping the other disc chilled. Use cookie cutters to cut out gingerbread men shapes and transfer them with a floured spatula to the prepared baking sheets. Leave about 2 inches between cookies. Add more flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned.
- Cool: Let the gingerbread men cool on the baking sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating or serving.
Notes
- Properly measure flour by weighing it or lightly spooning into the measuring cup to avoid dry dough.
- Adjust the spice levels to your preference for a more or less intense flavor.
- If using salted butter, omit the added salt to balance flavors.
- Use dark brown sugar for a richer, deeper flavor; light brown sugar can be substituted if needed.
- Unsulphured molasses is preferred for flavor; avoid blackstrap molasses as it can impart bitterness.
- The total number of cookies will vary based on the size and shape of your cookie cutters.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
