Easy Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread men are an iconic holiday dessert. This Easy Gingerbread Men Recipe combines rich molasses, warm spices, and deep brown sugar for cookie that is unforgettable.
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 205kcal
Ingredients
Cookies
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup molasses
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Royal Icing
- 2 ½ tablespoons
meringue powder
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ pound powdered sugar
- food color if you are tinting the icing
Instructions
Cookies
- Place softened butter in a large mixing bowl.
- Add brown sugar and mix using a hand or stand mixer until butter and sugar are creamed together.
- Pour in molasses.
- Crack in one egg. Mix until well combined.
- Add flour.
- Top with baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger. Mix until all of the flour is incorporated.
- Form into a ball.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 or more hours.
- Separate dough into two sections.
- Roll out on a floured board with a rolling pin until it is 1.4 inch thick.
- Using a cookie cutter, cut into shapes.
- Transfer to a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes.
- Cool on wire rack until completely cool.
Royal Icing
- Pour water into a large mixing bowl.
- Add meringue powder. Mix for 30 seconds.
- To the mixtures, add cream of tartar. Mix fo 30 seconds.
- Add powdered sugar. Mix for 10 minutes on lowest speed.
- Transfer to a piping bag and pipe icing onto cooled cookies. Let cookies dry completely, about 2 hours.
Video
Notes
- Chill the Dough: Don’t skip the chilling step! It makes the dough easier to roll out and helps the cookies hold their shape while baking.
- Roll Evenly: Roll the dough to a consistent thickness (I recommend 1.4 inches thick) so that each cookie bakes up evenly.
- Cool Completely: Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to continue to cool. Be sure they are completely cooled before icing them to prevent melting.
- Guide the Icing: For smooth, straight lines, let the icing flow naturally from the piping bag while gently guiding it, rather than pressing down too hard or pulling too quickly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 134mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 187IU | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg