These gingerbread men cookies are chewy, have all of the deep rich molasses flavor that we love in gingerbread cookies, and when paired with fiery red hot eyes and buttons- it is just the perfect combination of holiday goodness!
One of my favorite tricks when it comes to rolling out cut-out cookies is to sprinkle powdered sugar on the countertop rather than flour, especially when using a darker-colored dough. If you happen to get a little powdered sugar on the cookie while cutting it out (as I did above), it will just melt into the dough during baking. If you do the same thing with flour- you will be left with a white smudge on your finished cookie.
I also like to place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough and then use the rolling pin on top of the plastic wrap. It creates a smooth surface and the dough doesn't stick to the rolling pin!
Add the red-hot eyes and buttons before baking these cookies. They will not melt while the cookie bakes- and they will actually stay embedded in the cookie when you package them for gift-giving.
Be sure to cool your cookies on raised cooling racks, so the underside of the cookie fully cools as well. This will prevent them to sticking together when packaged.
- 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of margarine (softened)
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 eggs
- 3 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- red-hot candies (found in the baking aisle)
- In a large bowl beat the sugar and margarine together until well blended.
- Add eggs and the molasses and beat again.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the remaining dry ingredients, and then add to the molasses mixture until completely incorporated.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least one hour.
- Roll the dough onto a powdered-sugar-covered surface until 1/4-inch thick.
- Cut into gingerbread men and gingerbread women shapes. Add on red hot eyes and buttons. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
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