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Soft Gingerbread Men Cookies

These are soft and chewy gingerbread men cookies with a rich molasses flavor. Truly delicious and the perfect holiday cookie.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Cooling time2 hours
Course: Dessert
Keyword: gingerbread men

Ingredients

  • 1 cup molasses
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

  • In a *large* saucepan, add the molasses, butter and sugar. Bring to a quick boil then remove from heat and cool at room temp for an hour.
  • After that has cooled, add the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger and baking soda directly to the large saucepan. Stir completely. Next add in the beaten eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into a metal bowl, cover and chill dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight.
  • Once dough is chilled, preheat oven to 375°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Generously flour the surface you're rolling the cookies out on. Take 1/4 or 1/3 of the dough and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick or a little less. Cut out shapes and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are starting to brown. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for a couple of minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely, frost and decorate as desired.

Notes

A couple of notes! 
  • I know it will look like a thick caramel consistency and it is odd. Just go with it. Follow the directions and they will be perfect! 
  • When rolling the dough out, make sure to use a lot of flour. This is a sticky dough! Also, make it a little thinner than what you would make sugar cookies.
  • It's hard to tell when the edges are browning because of the color of gingerbread men. It might take a little trial and error with the first sheet to see how your oven cooks the cookies. I always set the timer for the least amount of time and then keep a close eye on them from there. My oven sweet spot for these was 9 minutes and 30 seconds. Very specific, I know! haha Every oven is different so keep an eye on them.