These traditional gingerbread men are a festive Christmas classic. They’re packed with warming ginger flavor and make excellent make-ahead gifts for friends and family.
I’m excited to share this homemade gingerbread recipe. I’ve been making this for as long as I can remember—every year my mum and I would bake bucket loads of gingerbread for our home, friends and family. The scent of gingerbread through the house and the smell of real Christmas trees are inseparable from the holidays for me. Now I enjoy passing these family recipes on to my children and to you.
Ingredients
Ground ginger: gives the cookie its characteristic bite. I like my gingerbread quite gingery—if you prefer a milder taste reduce the ginger to 1½–2 tablespoons.
Golden syrup: adds a caramel note without overpowering the spices. If you don’t have golden syrup, a mild honey or light maple syrup can work, though the flavor will change slightly.
Brown sugar: light brown sugar contributes a gentle caramel flavor that complements the ginger.
Butter: use room-temperature salted butter for ease of mixing. Dairy-free margarine can be substituted if required.
Plain (all-purpose) flour: these cookies are not intended to puff up, so use plain/all-purpose flour rather than self-raising.
Egg yolks: help bind the dough. You can reserve the egg whites for icing or other small bakes such as amaretti cookies or meringues.
Bicarbonate of soda: (baking soda) helps bind and slightly lighten the texture; do not substitute with baking powder.
Optional decorations
Icing sugar (powdered sugar): sift before use so the icing is smooth.
Egg white: for making a stable royal-style icing.
Lemon juice: helps the icing set hard; use fresh lemon juice for best flavor.
Round candies: small candies such as M&Ms or mini Smarties work well for buttons. You can skip these if you prefer.
How to make gingerbread men
Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C) fan-forced. Lightly grease several baking trays with butter or margarine. This recipe yields roughly six to eight trays of cookies, depending on cutter size; plan to work in batches.
Put the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl and beat until combined. Add the golden syrup, egg yolks and ground ginger, then mix until smooth. The dough will become stiff; switch to a large wooden spoon if your mixer struggles.
Sift in the bicarbonate of soda, then add the plain flour one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. The dough will get increasingly firm; you may need to press and fold with some elbow grease toward the end.
Hot tip: If you don’t have a kitchen scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a straight edge for more consistent results.
Flour a clean work surface and turn out the dough. Sprinkle with extra flour, divide it in half and return one half to the bowl to keep cool. Roll the working half to about 3–4 mm thickness, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Cut shapes using cookie cutters and transfer each piece to the prepared trays, leaving about 1 cm (½ inch) between cookies. You can make any shapes you like—stars, trees, animals—whatever suits your festive mood.
Hot tip: Oven performance varies. These times and temperatures worked for a fan-forced oven at sea level—adjust for your oven and altitude.
Bake each tray for about 10–12 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown. Let the cookies rest on the tray a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before decorating.
How to decorate gingerbread men
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg white until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sifted icing sugar to the egg white, beating well between additions. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and beat until smooth. Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, or use a small disposable bag with the corner snipped off.
Pipe simple faces and buttons or get creative—trees, stars and other shapes look lovely when decorated. Press candies into the icing for buttons before it sets. This icing is fairly thick and puffy, so it’s better suited to bold designs rather than very fine detail.
Allow the icing to dry completely before storing the cookies in an airtight container lined with baking paper.
How to make gingerbread gifts
Use clean cellophane bags to assemble gift packs. Place a few cookies in each bag, add extra candies for color, tie with curling ribbon and trim. Decorated gingerbread keeps for about a week in a sealed gift bag; undecorated cookies will last up to a month in an airtight container or sealed gift bag.
If posting cookies, pack them in a single flat layer between two pieces of cardboard and mark the parcel fragile. Check local and international postage restrictions for food before sending.
How to serve
Serve these gingerbread treats after a Christmas meal, on a dessert table, or when guests call by during the holidays. They’re also ideal as homemade gifts you can prepare in advance.
How to store
Un-decorated gingerbread stores well in an airtight container lined with baking paper for up to a month, possibly longer though it may soften over time. Decorated cookies will keep for about a week in a sealed airtight container or gift bag before losing crispness.
Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below and tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!
Looking for more yummy dessert recipes
Try these seasonal bakes and treats:
- Mincemeat Thumbprint Cookies
- Old-Fashioned Fruit Cake
- Christmas Pudding Ice Cream
- Homemade Oreos
- Christmas Rocky Road
📋 Recipe
Gingerbread men
Author: Sarah Brooks
These traditional gingerbread men are perfect for Christmas. Full of warming ginger and great for gifting.
Yield
About 64 gingerbread men (approx. 8 trays) — adjust quantities as needed.
Prep & Cook Times
Prep: 1 hr 15 mins • Cook: 12 mins • Total: 1 hr 27 mins (per oven load)
Equipment
- Electric hand beaters or stand mixer
- Baking trays
- Cookie cutters (gingerbread men, stars, trees, etc.)
- Rolling pin
- Piping bag with fine round tip (optional)
Ingredients
Gingerbread
- Extra butter or margarine for greasing trays
- 1 cup (220 g) tightly packed light brown sugar
- 2 sticks + 1 tbsp (250 g) butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (250 ml) golden syrup
- 2 egg yolks (large eggs)
- 5 cups (750 g) plain/all-purpose flour*
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 3 flat tablespoons ground ginger (reduce to 1½–2 tbsp for milder flavor)
- Extra plain flour for dusting
Optional decorations
- 1 cup (120 g) icing (powdered) sugar
- 1 egg white (large)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Decorations such as M&Ms, Smarties or other candies
Instructions
Gingerbread
- Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C) fan-forced. Lightly grease baking trays.
- Beat butter and brown sugar together until combined.
- Add egg yolks, golden syrup and ground ginger; mix to combine.
- Sift in bicarbonate of soda. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing well between additions.
- Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface, sprinkle with more flour and knead lightly.
- Divide the dough in half and keep one half aside. Roll the working half to about 3–4 mm thickness.
- Cut shapes with cookie cutters and transfer to prepared trays, leaving space between cookies. Re-roll scraps as needed.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool on wire racks completely before decorating.
Optional decorations
- Beat the egg white until soft peaks form.
- Sift the icing sugar and gradually add it to the egg white, beating well between additions.
- Add the lemon juice, beat until smooth, then transfer to a piping bag.
- Pipe icing onto cooled cookies and add candies for buttons. Allow to set fully.
- Store in an airtight container or package as gifts once icing is dry.
Notes
*Note: The correct flour weight for this recipe is 5 cups = 750 g. Using only 600 g makes the dough sticky and harder to work with; 750 g gives a firmer, easier-to-roll dough. A kitchen scale gives more consistent results.
Oven temperatures and times may vary—adjust for your oven and altitude. This recipe produces a fairly gingery cookie; reduce the ginger if you prefer a milder flavor.
Nutrition (per cookie, approximate)
Calories: 137 kcal • Carbs: 25 g • Protein: 2 g • Fat: 3 g • Sugar: 11 g
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