Gingerbread Boy Cookies

I've been making this recipe for at least 20 years now. I never noted where the recipe came from, but it would have been a magazine or one of my mother or grandmother's old cookbooks. I'm guessing on how many "normal" sized gingerbread men this will make, as I've only ever had a gigantic 9 or 10 inch tall cutter. Generally, I'll make a batch and then put one giant gingerbread boy on each cookie platter I'll be delivering to friends or family. :) The prep time includes refrigerating the dough before rolling out. Update: I've added a bit more spice than the original recipe, thanks to Diana's review. I posted the recipe for her to try and I appreciate her feedback on it. I also used whole cloves, allspice and nutmeg that I ground myself with a mortar and pestle or grated on a zester (nutmeg). I think the fresh ground flavors really made a nice touch.
- Ready In:
- 1hr 12mins
- Yields:
- Units:
ingredients
- 8 -9 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons allspice
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh grated preferred)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1⁄2 teaspoon clove
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 1⁄4 cups light molasses
- 3 eggs
- 1 -2 cup raisins (optional for decorating)
- 1 recipe royal icing (or buttercream, optional for decorating)
directions
- In medium bowl, sift together 3 cups of the flour, the baking soda, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt. Set aside.
- In large bowl, cream together the brown sugar and butter. Add the molasses and eggs, stirring until incorporated.
- Add the sifted flour and spices. Stir well.
- Add the rest of the flour (unsifted is fine), a cup at a time, until the dough is firm, but not dry. (You may not need all of the flour, you may need a little more.).
- Divide dough into quarters, roll into a ball & pat into a thick disc shape. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate until easy to handle (about 30 minutes to an hour) or until you're ready to roll it out.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease 2 or more cookie sheets (I use parchment paper instead of greasing) and set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc at a time to a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with gingerbread boy cookie cutter, getting as many cut as possible. Transfer cookies to prepared cookie sheets, gently press raisins in for eyes and buttons, if desired.
- Re-roll any scraps to get as many cookies as you can.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Bake, one sheet at a time, for 12-13 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool on sheet, 2 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.
- Decorate boys (or girls) with colored royal or buttercream icing, if desired.
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i made a full recipe but was disappointed first because the dough was kind of dry and when we baked them they were like bricks! I ran about 1/4 cup shy on molasses so I used some dark corn syrup-maybe that changed the structure of the dough but I wouldn't think it would!?<br/><br/>also, I'm used to eating gingerbread boys just as they are with a cup o tea and enjoy the usual sweetness and a mouthful of flavor from the spices that gingerbread is known for -so if you enjoy full gingerbread flavor and a nicely sweet cookie without frosting then this is not the recipe for you!<br/>I wish I would have experimented with 1/3 the recipe until I was sure that it was the one for me because it makes a LOT of dough! :-(Reply