Gingerbread Men Cookies Recipe - Making Life Delicious (2024)

COOKIES

• ⅔ cup shortening
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup molasses
• 3 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• raisins (cut in half)
• candied cherries (cut into slivers)

DECORATING ICING

• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• food colors (red & green (optional))

US Customary - Metric

• In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the shortening, brown sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until the mixture is light and fluffy.

• Add the eggs and molasses and mix well.

• In the medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir into the egg and sugar mixture until everything is mixed well.

• Divide into four pieces and shape into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

• Preheat oven to 375° F/190° C.

• Remove the plastic and placed the disk on a floured work surface. Roll to about ¼-inch (6 mm) thick. Cut with the ginger bread man cutter and place on the prepared baking sheets. Dip the cookies cutter in the flour between cuts. Use all the dough, then take any remaining and make another disk. Roll it out and cut more cookies. Make cookies blobs with any small bits of remaining dough.

• Press the cut raisins into the faces for eyes and noses, and use the candied cherry slivers for a mouth.

• Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

• ICING: In the other medium bowl, stir the confectioners sugar and water. Divide into smaller bowls and add food coloring, then stir. Add more food coloring and stir until you have the desired colors. Spoon into plastic bags with attached decorating tips and pipe on decorations (mittens, hats, buttons, outline the cookies). Allow the icing to harden and set up before wrapping the cookies.