Description
Deliciously chewy gingerbread man cookies with a sweet molasses-rich dough and a smooth vanilla glaze. These festive treats are perfect for holiday baking and decorating, featuring warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.
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 workspace: Set out multiple cookie sheets lined with parchment or a silpat. Arrange cooling racks over parchment or paper to catch icing drips. Set aside a glass bowl for reheating dough if needed.
- Preheat oven: Heat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make the glaze: In a glass bowl, mix together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
- Combine molasses and shortening: Over medium heat, simmer molasses and shortening in a pot for 2-5 minutes without scorching. Whisk vigorously at first until mixture coats a spoon in a sticky sauce.
- Cream sugar mixture: In a standing mixer with paddle attachment, cream sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add baking soda mixture: Dissolve baking soda in hot water and add it to the creamed sugar mixture. Stir gently to combine.
- Add spices: Blend ground cloves, cinnamon, salt, and ground ginger into the mixture.
- Incorporate molasses mixture: Add the hot molasses-shortening mixture to the batter and beat until fully incorporated.
- Add flour: Gradually beat in flour, beginning slowly. The sticky dough will absorb the flour and become very tacky. Remove dough to the counter for shaping.
- Roll out dough and cut cookies: Spray counter and rolling pin with nonstick spray (avoid flour). Remove one-third of dough at a time and roll out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Use small cookie cutters to cut gingerbread men shapes while dough is still warm.
- Bake cookies: Place cookies on prepared sheets. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes—small cookies for 5 minutes, medium (3-4 inch) cookies for 7-8 minutes, larger cookies for 10 minutes.
- Glaze the cookies: Immediately after removing from the oven, dunk each hot cookie completely in the glaze to coat all sides.
- Drain and cool: Place glazed cookies on cooling racks until the glaze is dry. Rotate cookies after a few minutes to prevent sticking.
- Store: Store cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag. For freezing, remove as much air as possible and seal. Cookies keep well up to 2 months frozen and up to 1 month at room temperature.
Notes
- The dough will be sticky but avoid adding flour; it will roll out well with nonstick spray.
- Keep dough warm; if it cools, warm briefly in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.
- Dunk cookies in glaze right after baking while still hot to ensure proper coating.
- If cookies are too soft to handle, bake a little longer before glazing to prevent squishing.
- Rotate glazed cookies on the cooling rack after a few minutes to avoid sticking.
- Cookies store best in airtight containers for freshness and freeze well for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 140 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
