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Gingerbread Man Sugar Cookies
Gingerbread man sugar cookies are rich sugar cookies that are topped with delicious frosting. These whimsical cookies are sure to land you on the nice list!
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Gingerbread man sugar cookies are a fun twist on a classic Christmas cookie. Soft and sweet, these cookies are perfect for anyone who wants to enjoy a gingerbread-themed treat. Make these adorable snowmen cookies, decorate them to look like traditional gingerbread men, or change them up entirely depending on the season.
Looking for more whimsical holiday cookies? You’ll want to make Christmas Wreath Cookies, Grinch Cookies Recipe with Hershey Kisses, and Christmas Pinwheel Cookies.
Gingerbread Man Sugar Cookies Ingredients
You will need:
Cookies
- 2 cups cake flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup salted sweet cream butter, softened
- ¼ cup butter-flavored shortening
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large whole egg
- 1 large egg white
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Icing
- 2¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon clear vanilla flavoring
- ½ teaspoons almond flavoring
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- Royal blue food color gel (or blue nonpareils)
- Orange food color gel
Substitutions and Additions
FOOD COLORING: While our instructions direct you to make snowmen cookies, you can get creative with your gingerbread men. Any color of icing would work well for the decoration.
DECORATIONS: You can use any color of nonpareil for the eyes or buttons. We do not recommend mini M&M’s as they do not look quite right for these snowman gingerbread people.
How to Make Gingerbread Man Sugar Cookies
Cookies
STEP ONE: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and cream of tartar. Set it aside.
STEP TWO: Using a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the softened butter, butter flavored shortening and granulated sugar for 1½ to 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
STEP THREE: Reduce the mixer speed to medium. Add the large whole egg and vanilla extract. Beat just until the egg is incorporated.
STEP FOUR: Add the large egg white and mix until well combined.
STEP FIVE: Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix just until the flour is incorporated and smooth. Cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 10 hours.
PRO TIP: It is very important that the dough chills for a bare minimum of 10 hours. 12 hours is even better. It may seem like a long time, but it is well worth the wait.
STEP SIX: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
STEP SEVEN: Lightly flour your working surface with flour.
STEP EIGHT: Divide the cookie dough in half. Lightly flour the top of the dough.
STEP NINE: Using a rolling pin, carefully roll the dough out to ¼ inch to ⅜ inch.
STEP TEN: Lightly flour the edges of the gingerbread man cookie cutter and cut your cookies.
PRO TIP: The cookie dough is perfect for all different shapes of cookie cutters and any time of year.
STEP ELEVEN: Evenly space the gingerbread men, 6 per baking sheet.
PRO TIP: Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cookies as the suggested baking time approaches.
STEP TWELVE: Remove the cookies and allow them to rest until they are completely cooled. While they are cooling, make the icing.
Icing
STEP THIRTEEN: Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, light corn syrup, vanilla flavoring, almond flavoring, and milk. Continue to stir until no lumps are visible and the icing is smooth.
STEP FOURTEEN: Using 2 small mixing bowls, measure ¼ cup of icing for the blue food color and 2 to 3 tablespoons for the orange food color.
STEP FIFTEEN: Add 4 to 5 drops of the royal blue and 2 to 3 drops of the orange color. Stir well.
STEP SIXTEEN: Using either a decorator’s bag and a small decorator’s tip (Wilton’s #5 tip), or a quart-size Ziploc with a small snip in a corner, carefully outline the edge of the gingerbread man with the untinted icing. Once outlined, carefully fill in the rest of the cookie. Repeat for the other gingerbread men.
PRO TIP: The easiest way to ice the cookie is to hold the bag straight up to the cookie to make the outline of icing. You can steady the piping hand with your other hand, too, if needed. Keep going around the outline filling the icing in. Then use the toothpick to smooth it out. You don’t have to wait for the outline to dry before filling in the rest of the white icing.
STEP SEVENTEEN: If you are using blue nonpareils for the eyes and buttons, place them before the icing begins to harden.
STEP EIGHTEEN: If you are using the blue-tinted icing, repeat the process of filling the decorator’s bag fitted with the small tip or the snipped Ziploc bag.
PRO TIP: For adding the eyes, buttons, and nose, there are two options. You can add them right on top of the freshly piped icing, and they will sink just a little bit into the icing and make a smooth surface, or you can let the white icing harden to touch just a bit (maybe 30 minutes to 1 hour or even overnight depending on your house temp) and then pipe the features on top, and they will be raised just a little.
STEP NINETEEN: Carefully dot the eyes and buttons for the gingerbread men.
STEP TWENTY: Repeat the process of the decorators bag or snipped Ziploc bag for the orange-tinted icing.
STEP TWENTY-ONE: Carefully make a small sideways triangle shape for the carrot nose.
STEP TWENTY-TWO: Allow the cookies to completely dry.
PRO TIP: The icing usually sets within just a few hours but is perfect if left to dry overnight.
How to Serve Gingerbread Man Sugar Cookies
Tis the season for gingerbread cookies! These darling cookies would be a great treat to add to a tray full of other Christmas cookies or include in a cookie exchange. You could even save a few for Santa on Christmas Eve. Serve them with a warm mug of homemade hot chocolate or mint hot chocolate to wash them down. So much fun to make and decorate, you’ll want to make decorating gingerbread man sugar cookies a fun yearly tradition to include as part of your Christmas baking.
Storage
ON THE COUNTER: Store any leftover gingerbread man cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature.
IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze these decorated chewy gingerbread cookies, sealed in a freezer bag or airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the cookies to thaw before serving.
Gingerbread man sugar cookies are a rich, rolled, and cut-out sugar cookie that is decorated like a classic gingerbread man. Topped with delicious frosting, these irresistible gingerbread man sugar cookies will certainly land you on the nice list with Santa this year! A sweet Christmas cookie to make for cookie exchanges and holiday parties, you’ll want to make an extra batch of these whimsical snowmen for yourself because they are so good.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I freeze these cookies?
This delicious recipe can be frozen for up to three months in an airtight container. Just make sure to thaw them on the counter before serving.
Do I have to chill the dough?
For best results, you need to chill the dough so that it is easier to roll and cut using the cookie cutters.
Can I use store-bought icing?
Any cookie decorating icing, whether homemade or store-bought, is perfect to make your gingerbread men fancy.
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Gingerbread Man Sugar Cookies
Gingerbread man sugar cookies are rich sugar cookies that are topped with delicious frosting. These whimsical cookies are sure to land you on the nice list!
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups cake flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup salted sweet cream butter softened
- ¼ cup butter-flavored shortening
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large whole egg
- 1 large egg white
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Icing
- 2¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon clear vanilla flavoring
- ½ teaspoons almond flavoring
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- Royal blue food color gel or blue nonpareils
- Orange food color gel
Instructions
Cookies
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and cream of tartar. Set it aside.
- Using a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the softened butter, butter flavored shortening and granulated sugar for 1½ to 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Reduce the mixer speed to medium. Add the large whole egg and vanilla extract. Beat just until the egg is incorporated.
- Add the large egg white and mix until well combined.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix just until the flour is incorporated and smooth. Cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 10 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour your working surface with flour.
- Divide the cookie dough in half. Lightly flour the top of the dough.
- Using a rolling pin, carefully roll the dough out to ¼ inch to ⅜ inch.
- Lightly flour the edges of the gingerbread man cookie cutter and cut your cookies.
- Evenly space the gingerbread men, 6 per baking sheet.
- Remove the cookies and allow them to rest until they are completely cooled. While they are cooling, make the icing.
Icing
- Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, light corn syrup, vanilla flavoring, almond flavoring, and milk. Continue to stir until no lumps are visible and the icing is smooth.
- Using 2 small mixing bowls, measure ¼ cup of icing for the blue food color and 2 to 3 tablespoons for the orange food color.
- Add 4 to 5 drops of the royal blue and 2 to 3 drops of the orange color. Stir well.
- Using either a decorator's bag and a small decorator's tip (Wilton’s #5 tip), or a quart-size Ziploc with a small snip in a corner, carefully outline the edge of the gingerbread man with the untinted icing. Once outlined, carefully fill in the rest of the cookie. Repeat for the other gingerbread men.
- If you are using blue nonpareils for the eyes and buttons, place them before the icing begins to harden.
- If you are using the blue-tinted icing, repeat the process of filling the decorator's bag fitted with the small tip or the snipped Ziploc bag.
- Carefully dot the eyes and buttons for the gingerbread men.
- Repeat the process of the decorators bag or snipped Ziploc bag for the orange-tinted icing.
- Carefully make a small sideways triangle shape for the carrot nose.
- Allow the cookies to completely dry.
Notes
It is very important that the dough chills for a bare minimum of 10 hours. 12 hours is even better. It may seem like a long time, but it is well worth the wait.
The cookie dough is perfect for all different shapes of cookie cutters and any time of year.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cookies as the suggested baking time approaches.
The easiest way to ice the cookie is to hold the bag straight up to the cookie to make the outline of icing. You can steady the piping hand with your other hand, too, if needed. Keep going around the outline filling the icing in. Then use the toothpick to smooth it out. You don’t have to wait for the outline to dry before filling in the rest of the white icing.
For adding the eyes, buttons, and nose, there are two options. You can add them right on top of the freshly piped icing, and they will sink just a little bit into the icing and make a smooth surface, or you can let the white icing harden to touch just a bit (maybe 30 minutes to 1 hour or even overnight depending on your house temp) and then pipe the features on top, and they will be raised just a little.
The icing usually sets within just a few hours but is perfect if left to dry overnight.
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