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image of gingerbread men sugar cookies decorated with royal icing
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4.67 from 12 ratings

Gingerbread Men Sugar Cookies

These adorably delicious gingerbread men sugar cookies bake up soft and chewy, are perfectly spiced, and are decorated with royal icing.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Additional Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 12 minutes
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 121kcal
Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cookie Dough

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 113g
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150g
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 50g
  • 1 large egg, room temperature 56g
  • 1/4 cup dark molasses 70g
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour - fluffed and spooned into the measuring cup 325g
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt

Royal Icing

  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 454g or a 1 lb. box
  • 3 Tbsp meringue powder 28g
  • 1/4 cup water, room temp 60g
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 12g
  • Additional water to bring to a flooding consistency
  • 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder - to be added later

Recommended Tools and Equipment:

Instructions

Gingerbread Cookies

  • This recipe requires some chill time for the dough, so wait to turn your oven on until after the dough is made. Cream 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 packed light brown sugar together 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).
  • Mix in 1 large egg and 1/4 cup molasses at medium speed until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
  • Add 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 3/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cloves, and 1/4 tsp salt into the wet ingredients. Mix on low until just combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is properly mixed together.
  • At this point, the dough should still be pretty thick. 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!
  • 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 cookie cutter, but any size should work! NOTE: I also used a 1-inch circle cutter to give the gingerbread men a larger head (see pictures in the post above).
  • 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 steps 8-12. Then repeat with the chilled dough scraps.

Royal Icing

  • While the cookies bake and cool, make the royal icing. Whisk together 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp of meringue powder in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Add 1/4 cup water and 1 Tbsp of 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 in post above). If it's too stiff, add a tiny bit more water. If it's too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. You should end up with about 18 ounces of 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.

Decorating These Gingerbread 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.
  • 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.

Video

Notes

How Many Cookies Does this Recipe Make?

The recipe makes about 36 cookies using 2-inch cookie cutters, 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.

Tips for Making the Best Gingerbread Men Sugar 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 121kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 57mg | Sugar: 19g