Learn how to make soft and chewy Spiced Gingerbread Men from scratch. These buttery ginger cookies are so easy to make and decorate – perfect for holiday baking!
Perfect Gingerbread Cookies 🎄
I make these Gingerbread Cookies every year, without fail. Soft and chewy Gingerbread Cookies made completely from scratch. Filled to the brim with holiday spices and decorated with a simple 2-ingredient icing, these cookies are the ultimate holiday treat.
They can be rolled and cut into any shape you like, so it’s a great activity for the kids!
Without a doubt, one of my favourite Christmas treats is gingerbread. I can eat it by the handful. I’ve already shared my favourite Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies with you and my Gingerbread Loaf Cake, but this year, it’s all about classic Gingerbread Men.
You can make these cookies using just a handful of regular ingredients. They get their delicious caramel flavour from butter and brown sugar, and you can use either golden syrup or molasses for their classic gingerbread taste.
You might even like to try my classic Molasses Cookies next! Or try my beautiful Checkerboard Cookies.
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Next comes the spices. I like to use a blend of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. It gives the cookies a little bit of a bite and oodles of flavour. If you don’t have nutmeg or cloves on hand, you can stick to just ginger and cinnamon.
If you like quite a kick, pump up the ginger to a full tablespoon. I LOVE them like this but if you are sharing with the kids, take it down to just 2 teaspoons as per the recipe. Each to their own! For a milder cookie, you could try my Honey Cookies.
Perhaps the best part about these cookies, is that instead of using royal icing, I just a simple 2-ingredient icing. It takes only seconds to make and it firms up just like royal icing. A few red and green M&M’s and you’re done!
More Christmas cookies to try
- Chocolate Molasses Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies
- M&M Christmas Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.
Let’s Bake
Spiced Gingerbread Men
Soft and chewy gingerbread cookies made from scratch.
Ingredients
Gingerbread cookies
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 135 grams (3/4 cup) brown sugar
- 160 grams (1/2 cup) golden syrup or molasses
- 1 egg yolk
- 315 grams (2 and 1/4 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Easy icing
- 125 grams (1 cup) icing sugar or powdered sugar, sifted
- 1–2 tablespoons warm water
- Red and green M&M’s
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter and sugar using an electric beater on medium speed until combined. Add molasses or golden syrup and egg yolk. Beat again until a creamy mixture forms.
- Sift in flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Beat briefly until a cookie dough starts to form – it may be crumbly at this stage.
- Sprinkle your bench with some extra flour and then knead the dough for a minute or two using your hands, just until it comes together to form a smooth ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and pop in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to rest.
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line two cookie sheets or oven trays with baking paper or parchment paper.
- Generously flour your bench and roll out your dough using a rolling pin to approximately 1/8 inch thickness. Dust your rolling pin with flour as you go to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Cut out shapes using cookie cutters and gently place the cookies onto the prepared trays. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes or until golden on the edges. Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, place the icing sugar in a small bowl and add water, one tablespoon at a time, and stir until it forms a smooth paste.
- Transfer icing to a small piping bag fitted with a small nozzle or use a plastic sandwich bag if you don’t have a piping bag. Decorate your gingerbread men with icing and add a few M&M’s on top. Leave each cookie for about 10 minutes for the icing to set.
Notes
Cooking time: If you prefer a crispy cookie that snaps, roll your cookies slightly thinner and bake for a minute or two longer. If you prefer a soft and chewy cookie, roll them slightly thicker and bake for a few minutes less.
Icing: Another easy way to ice these cookies is by using a little bit of melted white chocolate.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1 cookie Calories: 228 Sugar: 24.5 g Sodium: 124.3 mg Fat: 6.8 g Carbohydrates: 40.1 g Protein: 2.4 g Cholesterol: 27.2 mg
Hi, I’m Jess, the creator of Sweetest Menu and the author of Something Sweet. A self-taught baker and published recipe writer who can’t stop making easy and delicious baking recipes.
Ashley says
I love gingerbread so much and have spent literal years trialing different gingerbread recipes and even experimenting making my own recipe, trying to figure out how to get it to resemble the one I used to buy as a kid in the bakery (90’s baby). THIS IS IT! The nostalgia and joy eating this is crazy good. I will never ever make another gingerbread recipe. I also bake about 200 of these babies for friends and family at Christmas and get rave reviews. Jessica, you are literally the best! I CANNOT WAIT FOR YOUR COOKBOOK!
Jessica Holmes says
I hear you Ashley! Gingerbread bikkies are totally nostalgic for me too. So glad you enjoyed this one as much as I do. And I appreciate your kindness so much – I can’t wait until the cookbook is out!
Hannah says
I just made this and the dough is very sticky- I am hoping it will chill well and roll out ok / bake without too much spreading!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Hannah, the dough shouldn’t be overly sticky. Did you make any changes to the recipe? Time in the fridge will help though. You could let the dough chill for a little extra time if needed.
Emily says
Hi Jessica , I was wondering how long do the gingerbread last if you store them in an airtight container ?
I made them last year on Christmas Eve they worked perfectly !
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Emily, they keep quite well for even a week! I’m so glad you enjoyed them last year 🙂
Emily Cambel says
Thank you for getting back to me can’t wait to make them again !
Maddie says
Have made before and delicious! Are they able to be made ahead of time? Best to freeze or refrigerate the dough?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Maddie, so glad you love this one. You can definitely make the dough ahead of time! You can keep it in the fridge and then just thaw for a few minutes at room temperature before rolling and baking as per instructions below.
Belinda says
Made a batch of these this morning with my two little boys & these are by far the best gingerbread I have ever made! Super easy & they taste delicious. I’ll definitely be making more. Thanks so much Jess 🥰🎄
Jessica Holmes says
How wonderful! So glad you and the boys enjoyed them Belinda!
Taylor says
The only gingerbread recipe I’ll use from now on! Did one batch a few weeks ago and another yesterday, seems like a fool-proof recipe and it’s easy enough for my kids to do themselves. They loved eating the dough 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Aww love that Taylor! Thank you so much for the kind feedback.
Deanna says
Mine were a disaster even though i followed the recipe exactly and chilled the dough in the fridge for 2 hours. They spread horribly AND cracked. Sad face.
The raw dough tasted amazing though!
Jessica Holmes says
I’m sorry to hear that Deanna! They may have cracked if the dough was too cold. However, they shouldn’t spread much. Did you make any changes to the ingredients at all?
Jess says
Love the recipe. Awesome for a cold rainy day! I’ve made these cookies once and they were so good. Right now I’m in the middle of making them for the second time and I accidently put the egg white in too. Does that mean they will be terrible?????????
thanks
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jess! Glad you loved them. And don’t worry, I think they’ll still be fine!
Rahil says
Hi , wonderful chef , can i replace syrope with honey or caramel ??
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, I haven’t tried but it may work. Or try my Honey Cut Out Cookies.
Lyn says
This was a lovely recipe. I made a batch but substituted Cardamom for the nutmeg, as couldn’t find it in spice cupboard and also cut the ginger down to 1 teaspoon as it was for the granddaughters to make their gingerbread men. Left dough in fridge for a few hours as the weather was so hot.
The girls made the gingerbread men, stars, Christmas trees and angels. They then used the Queen Icing pens to decorate. It kept them well entertained on a hot Sydney day!
And by the way they were delicious and will definitely use this same recipe again.
Jessica Holmes says
Aw love that Lyn! So glad you enjoyed them. Thank you for your lovely review!
Debra says
Very nice. Easy to make, and roll out. Did add one more teaspoon of ginger.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed them Debra!
Emily Cambel says
Hi Jessica, I made the gingerbread men last year and they turned out perfectly . I was wondering how long do they keep for in an airtight container?
Jessica Holmes says
I love hearing that Emily! I find they keep well for up to 5-6 days! So good.
Alina says
Hello. I tried this recipe and it turned out very well. I love the taste and how it retained it’s shape.
The only thing I noticed is that it was soft & chewy when eaten immediately after baking, but the next day they were hard although I kept them in an airtight container.
Kindly advise what could have happened.
Also would it be better to use melted butter? And an additional whole egg?
Thank you 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Alina, it’s very normal for cookies to firm up once they cool. If you want a softer cookie, try rolling them out slightly thicker and baking them for a few minutes less.