Gingerbread Man Cookies

These are the perfect cookies to have during your Christmas break. Gingerbread Man Cookies are filled with warm spices and can be made as thin wafers or raised cookies. They are soft and crispy and go really well with hot chocolate or coffee when it is snowing outside. And kids love coloring them with different colors icing.

Ingredients
  • All Purpose Flour (Maida) – 110 gms (1 cup + 1/8 Cup)
  • Brown Sugar – 35 gms (1/8 Cup + 1 tbsp)
  • Butter – 35 gms (1/8 cup + 1 tbsp)
  • Molasses – 35 gms
  • Baking Soda – ½ tsp
  • Vanilla Essence – ½ tsp
  • Salt – ½ tsp
  • Ground Ginger – 1 tbsp
  • Ground Cinnamon – 1 tbsp
  • Ground Allspice – ½ tsp
  • Ground Cloves – ½ tsp
  • Eggs (Optional) – ½ number
Method
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger powder, cinnamon powder, allspice powder, and clove powder. Keep this dry mixture aside.
  2. In a separate large bowl, beat butter with hands or electric whisk until soft.
  3. Add brown sugar and molasses and beat on medium high speed until combined and creamy. You can also use hands to cream butter and sugar. Do not over-beat or over-whisk the butter-sugar mixture.
  4. Add vanilla essence and beat at high speed for 1-2 minutes.
  5. On a low speed, mix the dry mixture into the wet mixture. With hands, collect everything to prepare a soft dough. (Do not knead the dough– Do not use your knuckles as if kneading the dough).
  6. Divide the dough into two parts and wrap them in a cling film and keep them in the refrigerator for minimum 3 hours to overnight (preferred).
  7. Preheat the oven at 180°C and roll out and flatten the dough to ¼ inches thick sheet.
  8. Using the gingerman cookie cutter, make shapes out of the sheet.
  9. Place the cookies on the baking sheet and bake them at 180°C for 8-9 minutes.
  10. Allow the cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer them to the different plate to let them cool completely for another 30-45 minutes.
Notes
  1. Your cookies are cooked if you see them browning from the sides.
  2. When you will take out the cookies from the oven, they will be soft and cushy. Do not cook them more.
  3. Follow these steps after the cookies are cooked:
  4. Take out the baking tray and keep it on the cooling rack. Let the cookies be on the baking tray till the tray is hot.
  5. Once the tray is at room temperature, remove the cookies from the tray and keep them on a separate plate and allow them to cool for another 30-45 minutes.
  6. If your oven tends to get too hot, reduce the time of baking by 1-2 minutes accordingly.
  7. Remember to keep the cookies batter and cookies sheet/baking tray in cold temperature. The cookies dough or batter or balls should always be chilled before getting into the oven.
  8. DO NOT leave the cookies dough or cookies balls at room temperature. If the oven is not ready, shift the cookies dough or balls into the fridge and take them out only when the oven is ready.