Soft Gingerbread Man Recipe with a nice blend of christmassy spices, the best cookies for the festive season. Kids will absolutely love them, and the grown-ups too. They taste a lot better than the store-bought ones, and are quick and easy to make. A must-try recipe!
Have you got a recipe that always reminds you of a special celebration, or an important day, or just a lovely memory from your childhood? When I think of gingerbread man cookies, I automatically think of Christmas, of warm spices, of cold weather, town buzzing with people getting ready for Christmas.
I don't know what it is, but it feels so peaceful though. Christmas had this effect on people, I suppose. It does make you a bit soft, isn't it? And baking, apart from being therapeutic, it can also bring you in the best christmassy mood. Plus, it's a great fun for kids too.
So, if you wondered how to make a soft gingerbread man recipe that smell and taste like Christmas, this is the best recipe for you.
The cookies have just the right amount of spices, are chewy, soft, and baked to perfection. My gingerbread men cookies do not use molasses, instead they have golden syrup, but you can use any of them, or honey.
And for some gingerbread men cookies with a twist, you really must try my Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies, they are amazing!
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Ingredients needed
- flour - plain flour is all we need
- dark brown muscovado sugar - or just regular dark brown sugar
- butter - unsalted
- golden syrup -or honey
- bicarbonate of soda - not baking powder!
- cinnamon - adds a festive touch to the biscuits
- ground ginger - add to taste, but the more, the merrier here
- egg - at room temperature
- icing for decorating -optional
Step-by-step photos and instructions
l must say this is the easiest dough l've worked with, it does not stick to the working surface or the rolling pin and it is very easy to shape. And it's yummy.
- First, melt the butter in a pan set over a low heat, add the muscovado sugar and golden syrup (or honey) and stir well to get a smooth runny paste.
DO NOT skip this step, otherwise the muscovado sugar will make the dough lumpy and the texture of the cookies won't be smooth. Leave to cool.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, add the bicarbonate of soda and the spices, beat an egg and add it to the flour together with the cooled butter mixture.
- Knead gently into a ball, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Once chilled, roll the dough, and use gingerbread man cookie cutters to cut up shapes.
- Have the oven pre-heated at 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit). Bake the cookies for about 7 minutes, or up to 10 minutes if using a very large gingerbread man cookie cutter.
What do gingerbread cookies taste like
The spices used for these cookies give a special fragrance and taste that I can't have enough of. I can feel the heat coming from the ginger, but it is not a very strong one.
If you use muscovado sugar, you will get an even deeper aroma than if you use just light brown sugar. Again, the golden syrup will be richer than honey, so that again will make the taste slightly different.
But one thing is sure, these gingerbread man cookies are nice and soft, yet chewy at the same time. They don't really have that snap people like, which I am happy with, since I don't really like hard cookies.
How to decorate the gingerbread men
If you like the cookies plain, excellent! But, if you fancy decorating them, icing or melted chocolate are your best bet. I
f you use icing, add it to a piping bag and use a small round nozzle for perfect piping. The icing can be either plain white, or you can use any other christmassy colours.
But you know what, gingerbread men can also make some spooky Halloween cookies too. And what a fun they are! Go as creepy as you like, the spookier the better.
How to make gingerbread men that are firm and snap well
These cookies are baked just for long enough to have a soft and chewy texture. If you want crispy gingerbread men that snap well, bake the cookies for a longer - I would add at least 5 more minutes, keeping an eye on them not to burn.
Also, the thinner you roll the dough, the crispier the biscuits - a thicker dough will make softer cookies.
Other ginger treats
Whether you like the Halloween or the Christmas gingerbread men, one thing is sure, this recipe is fail-proof, and the absolute best! Do give it a go, you will love it! The so will the little ones too. Why not baking with the kids too?
If you’ve tried my GINGERBREAD MEN COOKIES or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Soft Gingerbread Man Recipe
Ingredients
- 350 g flour
- 175 g dark brown muscovado sugar
- 100 g butter
- 80 g golden syrup (or honey)
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 ½ tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 egg
- icing for decorating (optional)
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Instructions
- Cut the butter in small cubes and put it in a pan over a low heat.
- Add the muscovado sugar and the golden syrup and gently stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- In a large pan, sift the flour and add the ground ginger, mixed spice, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda.
- Crack an egg and beat slightly.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the egg and the buttery mixture.
- Knead gently for a few minutes until it forms a dough.
- Make a ball, cover in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to the working surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough, it should have approximately ¼ cm in thickness.
- Use gingerbread cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
- Transfer them onto a baking tray lined with non-stick paper, working in batches.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 8 minutes, checking it regularly - depending on your cookie cutter size, they might take between 7-10 minutes
- Allow to cool completely, then decorate with icing if you wish.
Video
Notes
- If you'd like to see the ingredients listed in cups and ounces, please check the US Customary Link.
- Also, the amount of ingredients changes depending on the servings, so click on the number listed to change it to the number you prefer.
- These cookies are baked just for long enough to have a soft and chewy texture. If you want crispy gingerbread men that snap well, bake the cookies for a longer - I would add at least 5 more minutes, keeping an eye on them not to burn.
Amy says
Hi, I just wondered how long the gingerbread men will be good for after being baked?
Many thanks.
Daniela Apostol says
Hi! If they are stored in an air-tight container, they can last at least a week.
Pavla says
Such a great recipe, going to make it for the third time in a space of two weeks 😀 my kids love to make these and decorate them afterwards.
I'm going to print it out as well, so I don't loose the recipe.
Thank you so much and Happy New Year.
Daniela Apostol says
Happy New Year! Thank you so much for the lovely feedback, I am happy that the recipe worked for you! My little girls love helping me make gingerbreads, it's such an easy dough to work with, and the biscuits always turn out great.
Kerrie says
Absolutely the best gingerbread men recipe! We all love them, they’re easy to make and they come out perfectly every time.
Daniela Apostol says
Amazing! Thank you for your feedback!
Amanda Rose says
I don't usually like recipe blogs because there's too much chatter, and the recipe is hard to find, but your blog is different. It is filled with insights, and knowledge. It asks and answers questions, and the pictures are very relevant. In short your blog is what a recipe blog should be. A+
I'm trying the recipe on Thursday (so it can chill overnight) for a tween party. It's a well balanced recipe and simple to follow. I don't like hard cookies either so thank you.
Daniela Apostol says
Thank you for your feedback, it is much appreciated! I am happy that you like my food blog, l put a lot of heart into every single one of my recipes. These gingerbreads are really delicious, l hope everyone will enjoy them. If you chill the dough overnight, it might be too hard to roll, so l would either take it out of the fridge and leave it to soften just enough to be able to roll it, or cut out the gingerbreads, and chill them, then bake them the next day.
Amanda Rose says
I don't usually like recipe blogs because there's too much chatter, and the recipe is hard to find, but your blog is different. It is filled with insights, and knowledge. It asks and answers questions, and the pictures are very relevant. In short your blog is what a recipe blog should be. A+
I'm trying the recipe on Thursday (so it can chill overnight) for a tween party. I'm an old cook, so I can look at it and tell it's well balanced, and simple to follow. Like you, I don't like hard cookies, and I'm happy to have a use for this Lyl's
Sue E says
This looks like a lovely gingerbread recipe. I am keen to try it.
Do you think it would work with gluten free flour?
Daniela Apostol says
Thank you! I am afraid l have not tested them with gluten free flour, so l am unsure if that changes the texture of the dough.
izzy says
hey great recipe thank you but i think 1/4cm is a little too thin for me haha i did 1/4inch thickness i like the people thick
Daniela Apostol says
I am glad you enjoyed the recipe - thinner ones will be more crunchy, where thicker ones softer, so it's just a matter of how you like them, both variations are delicious.