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Snack

Gingerbread People

Dark, spicy molasses cookies, soft in the middle with crisp edges. Decorate with royal icing buttons and smiles.

⏱ 2 hr 50 min (40 min prep, 10 min cooking, 2 hr waiting) 🍽 Serves 24 · 1 cookie (about 4 inches) make aheadkid friendlyfreezer friendly vegetarian

In our collection Christmas baking and holiday dinner: menu and shopping list β†’

πŸ“… Add to my plan

ContainsMilk, Eggs, Wheat. Check the labels on what you buy; brands differ.

Ingredients

Make 24 servings
  • ΒΎ cup Butter, unsalted, softened (1Β½ sticks)
  • ΒΎ cup Brown sugar, packed
  • 1 Eggs, large
  • Β½ cup Molasses
  • 3ΒΌ cup All-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1 tsp Baking soda
  • Β½ tsp Table salt
  • 1 tbsp Ground ginger
  • 1Β½ tsp Ground cinnamon
  • ΒΌ tsp Ground cloves
  • ΒΌ tsp Ground nutmeg

Make it yourself

Make the butter yourself β†’ Out of brown sugar? Make it β†’

In the planner, Make it on the shopping list swaps the store item for these ingredients and puts the work on your prep day.

Nutrition

Nutrition coming: the USDA numbers for these ingredients are being added.

Steps

You’ll need: mixer, rolling pin, gingerbread-person cutter, 2 baking sheets, parchment paper, cooling racks.

  1. Beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the molasses.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and spices, and mix them in on low speed. The dough will be soft. Don’t taste the raw dough: raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs (FDA and CDC). Bake first, then taste.
  3. Divide in half, flatten into disks, wrap and chill at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
  4. Heat the oven to 350Β°F. Roll the dough ΒΌ inch thick on a floured counter and cut out people. Set them 1 inch apart on parchment-lined sheets. Press in raisins for eyes if you like.
  5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes: shorter for soft cookies, longer for crisp ones. They firm up as they cool. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then on a rack.
  6. Decorate with royal icing (see the sugar cookie recipe) or a simple powdered-sugar glaze once they’re completely cool.
Make aheadThe dough keeps 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
❄️ FreezerFreeze baked, undecorated cookies up to 3 months.
β†Ί LeftoversKeep cooled cookies in an airtight tin at room temperature for about a week.
πŸ§’ With kidsKids can cut out the people, press in raisin eyes and pipe on buttons.
Stronger swapFor a bolder cookie, add Β½ teaspoon black pepper and use dark brown sugar.

Goes well with

⭐ Sugar Cookie Cutouts with Royal Icing🏠 Gingerbread House

Good to know

Cooking Fats Compared Salted vs. unsalted butter All-purpose vs. bread flour (and friends) Baking soda vs. baking powder Table salt vs. kosher salt vs. sea salt Ceylon vs. Cassia Cinnamon

An original Teddy Rook Book recipe, written for our Christmas baking and holiday dinner collection; safety steps follow USDA. Nutrition is estimated from USDA FoodData Central and changes with brands and portions.