World's Easiest Gingerbread Men Cookie Recipe

Recipe: How to Make Gingerbread Men

Ingredients:

- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup melted and slightly cooled shortening
- ¾ cup molasses
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Start by sifting together the flour, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, and then set that aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the shortening, molasses, brown sugar, water, egg and vanilla and stir it all until it’s smooth.
3. Gradually add the dry ingredients, and stir it until they are completely absorbed.
4. Divide your dough into three pieces, pat it to about an inch and a half thick, wrap it in saran wrap and then refrigerate it for at least three hours.
5. Once your dough has set, preheat your oven to 350°. Then, on a lightly floured work surface, roll one section of your dough until it’s ¼ inch thick. Be sure to leave the remaining pieces in the fridge until you’re ready to work with them.
6. When it’s the right thickness, cut your dough into the desired shapes using a cookie cutter.
7. Now, place your cookie shapes onto an ungreased cookie about an inch apart.
8. Bake your gingerbread men for 10 to 12 minutes in your preheated oven. You’ll know the cookies are ready when they look dry, but are soft to the touch.
9. Next, remove them for your cookie sheet and leave them to cool completely on wire racks.