Good news! I have a Gingerbread People recipe you can bake to add to your Christmas cookies list this year! Cut-out cookies are holiday treats that everyone enjoys.
This is a very easy recipe to make. You’ll be mixing the dough, refrigerating it to create more of a stiff dough for rolling, and then using your favorite gingerbread cookie cutters to cut out shaped cookies for baking. So take a break from the busy holiday season, and bake more cookies!
Gingerbread History:
The first gingerbread man is credited to Queen Elizabeth I, who knocked the socks off visiting dignitaries by presenting them with one baked in their own likeness. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are credited with popularizing the Christmas Tree and incorporating gingerbread into Christmas as tradition.
Ingredients needed:
- salted butter
- white sugar
- water
- baking soda
- molasses
- all purpose flour
- ground ginger
- ground cinnamon
- ground allspice
- salt
How to make Gingerbread People:
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy (3 to 4 minutes). In a separate small bowl, stir together ¼ cup water and the baking soda until dissolved; stir in the molasses.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, spices and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with the molasses mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Shape the cookie dough into a ball; cover and chill 1 hour.
Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Use a rolling pin to roll dough to ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured work surface. Cut with a 3-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter. Gather scraps, and re-roll the dough scraps to cut out more gingerbread men cookies, still using a lightly floured surface.
What type of Gingerbread Cutter is best to use for Gingerbread Cookies?
During the holiday season, there should be gingerbread cutters pretty much everywhere you can find holiday decorations. If you want to be more specific about size, check Amazon for an array of sizes of gingerbread and other cookie cutters.
Place cookies 2-inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; use a thin spatula to remove to wire rack to cool completely. Decorate with royal icing, if you’d like! Use food coloring to make your favorite colors for decorating. Cinnamon hot candies are another good addition for decorating.
Why are they called “Gingerbread People?”
In this day and age, it’s a bit dangerous to call them “Gingerbread Men.” Even though we have always known these cookies as such, it’s important to note that you can turn these gingerbread people into either gingerbread women or gingerbread men. So that’s why they’re gingerbread people!
For storage, store these gingerbread people cookies in an airtight container. You can keep them at room temperature for up to one week. Store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you have decorated them, make sure the icing dries completely before storing. Store with a piece of wax paper between layers of cookies. This will help the decorations from getting messed up. Enjoy!
Ginger Cookie Recipes:
- Ginger Cookies
- Molasses Honey Ginger Cookies
- Gingerdoodle Cookies
- Gingersnaps with Orange Ginger Cream Filling
- Hot and Spicy Gingersnaps
Gingerbread People
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup molasses
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy (3 to 4 minutes). In a separate small bowl, stir together ¼ cup water and the baking soda until dissolved; stir in the molasses.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, spices and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the molasses mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Shape the dough into a ball; cover and chill 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a 3-inch gingerbread people cutter. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate, if you'd like!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
