Description
These chewy gingerbread man cookies are a festive treat perfect for holiday baking. Made with classic warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, they are coated in a smooth vanilla glaze right after baking for an extra sweet finish. The dough is sticky but melts into tender, flavorful cookies that hold their shape beautifully, making them ideal for small cut-out shapes. They keep well stored airtight or frozen.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 1 cup molasses, Grandma’s brand
- 1 cup butter flavored shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 6 cups flour
Glaze
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup milk
- 4 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Prepare Your Space. Arrange multiple cookie sheets lined with parchment or silpat and cooling racks over parchment to catch icing drips. Set aside a glass bowl for reheating dough if needed.
- Preheat Oven. Set your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to get ready for baking the cookies.
- Make Glaze. In a glass bowl, mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside for glazing cookies later.
- Simmer Molasses and Shortening. On medium heat, combine molasses and shortening in a pot. Simmer for 2-5 minutes without scorching, whisking vigorously at first until the mixture thickens to a sticky, cohesive sauce.
- Cream Sugar, Egg and Vanilla. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy.
- Dissolve Baking Soda. In a glass measuring cup, dissolve baking soda in hot water, then add this to the creamed mixture and stir on low speed to combine.
- Add Spices and Salt. Incorporate ground cloves, cinnamon, salt, and ground ginger into the mixture.
- Combine Molasses Mixture. Pour the hot molasses and shortening mixture into the bowl and beat until fully incorporated.
- Add Flour. Gradually beat in the flour, starting slowly. The dough will become very sticky as it soaks up all the flour. Transfer sticky dough to a nonstick sprayed surface.
- Roll and Cut. Spray counter and rolling pin with nonstick spray. Remove one-third of dough and roll out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Use small cookie cutters to cut out gingerbread men shapes while dough is still warm.
- Bake Cookies. Place cookies on prepared sheets and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Small cookies take 5 minutes, medium 7-8 minutes, and regular sized 10 minutes.
- Glaze Cookies. Immediately after baking, quickly dunk each hot cookie completely in the glaze to coat all sides fully.
- Cool and Store. Drain glazed cookies on cooling racks until dry. Store in an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze up to 2 months, ensuring to press out air to maintain freshness.
Notes
- The dough will be very sticky but avoid adding extra flour; it rolls out fine with nonstick spray on the counter and rolling pin.
- Keep the dough warm; if it cools, microwave for 5-10 seconds before rolling.
- Dunk cookies in glaze immediately after baking while still hot to ensure good coating.
- If cookies are too soft to pick up, bake longer to avoid squishing.
- Rotate glazed cookies after a few minutes on racks to prevent sticking.
- Store cookies in airtight containers for up to one month or freeze up to two months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 140 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
