These adorably delicious gingerbread men sugar cookies are almost too cute to eat. Keyword – ALMOST! They bake up soft and chewy, are perfectly spiced, and are decorated with royal icing.

Let’s Make These Gingerbread Cookies Together!

To make sure these gingerbread men turn out as amazing as possible, let’s walk through each step together.

Below is a list of equipment I used to make these but feel free to improvise if you don’t have all of these on hand.

Recommended Tools and Equipment

• Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
• 2 large, flat baking sheets
• 2-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter
• 4 small piping bags
• 1 medium piping bag
• Red Gel food coloring
• Black Gel food coloring

Step 1: Mix the Butter, Sugars, and Wet Ingredients Together

This recipe requires some chill time for the dough, so wait to turn your oven on until after the dough is made.

Cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment.

Mix on a medium-high speed with an electric mixer until the mixture becomes lighter in color (about 2 minutes).

Then, mix the egg and molasses in at a medium speed until combined.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.

Step 2: Mix in the Dry Ingredients

Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until just combined. The dough should be quite thick.

Step 3: Chill the Dough

Divide the dough in half and wrap each portion of dough in a piece of plastic wrap. I like to flatten the dough into a rectangle that’s about 1/2 inch tall to make it easier to roll out once it’s chilled.

Chill the dough in the fridge for 1 hour or in the freezer for 15 minutes. You can also make the dough ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for a few days.

If you chill the dough overnight, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before trying to roll it out. This will make it easier to roll out!

Step 4: Roll & Cut the Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C about 30 minutes before you plan to roll out the dough, and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.

Take one piece of dough out of the fridge, leaving the other in there to continue to chill. Unwrap the cookie dough and lay the plastic wrap flat on your counter.

We will be rolling out the cookie dough on the plastic wrap to make cleanup a breeze and make cutting out the cookies easier. Dust the top of the cookie dough and your rolling pin with flour.

Roll the chilled dough to be 1/4 inch thick and cut out cookies with a flour-dusted cookie cutter. I used a 2-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter, but any size should work! NOTE: I also used a 1-inch circle cutter to give the gingerbread men a larger head.

The cookies will spread a bit as they bake, so place them about 2 inches apart.

If you want to minimize spreading, you can chill the cut-out cookies one more time in the fridge for 15 minutes or the freezer for 5 minutes to help them keep their shape as they bake.

Bake one sheet of cookies at a time for 12-14 minutes on the middle rack of your oven (bake time can vary quite a bit based on the size and shape of the cookies, and the thickness of the dough).

Err on the side of under-baking the cookies, as we want them to be soft and chewy! The edges should be set, but it’s ok if the centers are still a little bit soft – remember that they will continue to bake on the hot pan once they’re out of the oven.

Let the baked cookies cool on the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

While the first batch bakes and cools, knead together the cookie dough scraps, rewrap them in plastic wrap, and pop them back in the fridge to chill.

Pull out the 2nd chilled portion of dough and repeat the steps above. Then repeat with the chilled dough scraps.

Step 5: Make the Royal Icing

While the cookies bake and cool, make the royal icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add the water and vanilla extract. Mix at a low speed with a whisk or paddle attachment first to incorporate the liquid, then increase to a medium speed and mix until stiff peaks form.

This usually takes me about 3 minutes with a hand mixer or 2 minutes with a stand mixer. Scrape around the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is properly mixed together.

Next, mix in additional water 1 Tbsp at a time until a soft peak consistency is reached. I used about 2 Tbsp of water, but it can vary from batch to batch.

To test for soft peak consistency, dip the spatula into the icing and focus on the way it curls at the end of the spatula. It should curl back onto itself but still be able to keep its shape (see picture below). If it’s too stiff, add a tiny bit more water. If it’s too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.

Step 6: Color the Royal Icing

Then it’s time to color the icing! Scoop 3 ounces (about 1/3 cup) of the uncolored icing into a large piping bag and seal the top. Set aside.

Next, scoop 2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) of icing into a separate small bowl. Color the icing red with a generous squirt of red gel food coloring. Scoop the icing into a small piping bag and seal the top. Set aside.

Then scoop 2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) of icing into the same bowl and color it black with a generous squirt of black gel food coloring. Scoop the icing into a small piping bag and seal the top. Set aside.

The final step is to make brown icing. Add 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder into the remaining icing and mix until evenly colored. If you want a darker brown color, you can add an additional Tbsp of cocoa powder.

Scoop 2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) of brown icing into a small piping bag and seal the top. Set aside. If you don’t want to use cocoa powder to color the icing, you can also mix in brown gel food coloring.

Thin out the remaining brown/chocolate icing by adding in more water, 1 tsp at a time until the icing reaches flood consistency.

To test for flood consistency, the icing should be able to run off the spatula in a thick stream, and you should be able to draw a figure 8 with the run-off icing. It should settle back into the bowl of icing within 8 seconds.

Once the icing is thinned to this stage, pour it into a large piping bag, and seal the top. Set aside.

Step 7: Decorate the Gingerbread Men Sugar Cookies

When you’re ready to decorate the fully cooled cookies, cut the tips of the piping bags to create a very small opening (1-2 millimeters).

You can always cut the opening wider, but you can’t make it smaller once you cut it. I find it’s a lot easier to control the icing as you decorate the cookies if you have a small opening.

Use the thicker brown icing to outline the cookies. Let the outline dry for about 15 minutes, then flood the cookies with the thinner brown icing. Set aside to dry for about 30 minutes, or until the outer layer of icing has formed a skin.

Use the white icing to pipe squiggly lines on the wrists, ankles, and forehead of each gingerbread cookie. Then use the red icing to pipe heart buttons in the middle of the cookies, and black icing to pipe on the eyes.

You can use either a thin, edible marker or black icing to add a little mouth to each cookie. If you use an edible marker, make sure the icing has fully hardened before pressing down on it with the marker.

I also added a small dot of white icing on each eye to give it a little more dimension, and little red cheeks, but this is optional.

Then let the cookies dry for a few hours or overnight until the icing is firm to the touch, then enjoy!

These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer. If you plan to stack them on top of each other, I recommend placing parchment paper between the layers of cookies.

How Many Cookies Does this Recipe Make?

The recipe makes about 36 cookies using 2-inch cookie cutters (they spread a bit as they bake), but the yield can vary a lot based on the size of your cookie cutters and how thick you roll out the dough.

If you want to make more cookies, you can double the ingredients and make a double batch using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer.

Gingerbread Cookie Ingredients & Substitutions

While I love this recipe just the way it is, I know you might not have all these ingredients on hand! Or you might have food restrictions or allergies.

Below are some swaps and variations that can be made in this recipe.

• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter, you can use it and omit the salt that this recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter.
• Granulated Sugar – This recipe turns out best with a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar, but you can also use additional light brown sugar in place of the granulated sugar if that’s all you have on hand.
• Brown Sugar – I like using light brown sugar but dark brown sugar will work too.
• All-Purpose Flour – You can use a gluten-free flour blend if needed in place of the AP flour in this recipe.
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch helps reduce the spread of the cookies as they bake and gives them a softer texture. If you don’t have any on hand, it can be omitted.
• Ground Spices – The ground spices in this recipe really amp up the flavor of these cookies and are a must!

Tips for Making the Best Gingerbread Cookies

• Make sure your ground spices are still fresh and full of flavor! As they sit, sometimes they can lose their potency, leaving you with lackluster-tasting cookies.
• Space your cookies about 2 inches apart before baking them. They will spread as they bake.
• Don’t over-bake your cookies! The color of the dough makes it hard to tell when they start to brown, so keep an eye on the texture of the top of the cookie. Even if they seem a bit soft coming out of the oven, they will continue to bake and set on the tray once they’re out of the oven.
• Use gel food coloring to color the icing. It creates vibrant colors without throwing off the consistency. Or if you’re short on time or don’t have gel food coloring on hand, you can always just use white icing!
• Roll your dough to a consistent thickness to help your cookies bake evenly and end up soft and chewy. I use these bands on my rolling pin which makes it so easy!

Making These Cookies in Advance and Storing Them

This cookie dough can be made a few days in advance. Store it in the fridge wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and then when you’re ready to bake the cookies, let the dough sit out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before trying to roll it out (this will make it a lot easier!).

Baked and iced cookies can be stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature for up to a week, or in the freezer for 3 months.

You can also freeze baked, uniced cookies for up to a month. I like to set them out to thaw to room temperature overnight, then ice them once they’ve reached room temperature.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you make these gingerbread men sugar cookies, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Or if you share on social media, be sure to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so I can see your delicious creations!

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