Soft gingerbread men with broad limbs, warm molasses flavor and tender centers from an even 1/4-inch roll and short bake.
An even quarter-inch sheet and broad limbs make these soft figures easier to handle. Bake similar-size shapes together and avoid waiting for hard hot centers. Let the cookies cool before adding faces or packing them in layers.
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Soft Gingerbread Men Recipe
Per tray: 8–10 minutes · 3 trays of 12 broad-limbed people
Allow 145 minutes: 35 hands-on, 60 chilling, 30 for all baking trays, 20 cooling. Cooling includes the pan rest. Optional decoration, ingredient warm-up and extra trays add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- US measuring cups/spoons and digital kitchen scale
- Small saucepan and a large mixing bowl
- Rolling pin with ¼ inch (6 mm) thickness guides
- 3-inch broad-limbed gingerbread man cutter
- Two light-colored aluminum baking sheets, about 13 × 18 inches (33 × 46 cm), and parchment
- Wide spatula, wire cooling rack and oven thermometer
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Spice blend
Scale ingredients and US equivalents, including eggs. Keep cookie size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. More trays add time; weigh beaten egg for fractional batches.
Instructions
Melt & season
- Gently melt butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in sugar, molasses, salt and spices until evenly combined. Let cool until lukewarm before beating in the egg.
Combine
- Whisk flour with baking powder and baking soda, then mix into the wet ingredients until no dry flour remains. Dough will be sticky; do not add more flour.
Firm the dough
- Divide into two flattened rectangles, wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 60 minutes, until cold and firm enough to roll. Chilling firms the butter and lets the flour hydrate.
Shape
- Heat to 350°F (175°C) conventional or 325°F (165°C) fan. Roll cold dough to an even 1/4 inch. Cut broad-limbed 3-inch people and place 1 inch apart on lined 13 × 18-inch pans.
Check doneness
- Bake 8–10 minutes until tops are set and edges slightly darker, with centers still yielding. Do not bake until hard. Use cooled pans between batches.
Cool before icing
- Rest on the pan 5 minutes until safe to lift, then transfer to a rack for about 15 minutes or until fully cool. Optional prepared cookie icing may be used according to its packaging; it is additional to this dough formula.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Keep the body thick
Thin arms dry sooner than a thicker body, so roll uniformly to 1/4 inch.
Stop before hard
Hot cookies should be set at the edges while still yielding in the middle.
Seal only when cold
Airtight storage protects softness without trapping steam.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | 3–4 days | Cool completely, then store airtight in a cool room. |
| Refrigeration | Raw dough: up to 2 days | Wrap dough tightly. Plain baked cookies do not need refrigeration. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze portions airtight; thaw covered in the refrigerator before baking. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze cooled cookies airtight. Thaw covered at room temperature. |
| Restoring | Before serving | Warm undecorated cookies briefly at 300°F for 3–5 minutes if desired; cool before decorating. |
Notes
- The 1/4-inch thickness and a gentle bake retain a soft center. Soft gingerbread does not mean raw dough: the surface should be set before removal. Keep fully cooled cookies airtight. Optional icing faces add decoration and drying time.
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition per serving; brands and portion sizes vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my men crisp?
They may be too thin or overbaked. Use 1/4-inch dough and check at 8 minutes.
Can I lift them immediately?
Leave 5 minutes on the pan so the soft structure can set.
How do I keep them soft?
Cool completely, then seal airtight; avoid leaving them uncovered overnight.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Gingerbread Cookies Ideas collection.
