It may be that I’ve gone a little loopy with all of the recent Christmas preparations, but for some reason I got really hung up on what I should call these cookies. Are they Gingerbread Men? Or are they Gingerbread Boys? But then, I didn’t want to leave out the girls…so maybe some of them should be called Gingerbread Girls. Or maybe I just go with the politically correct name and call them Gingerbread People?
When did Christmas baking become so complicated? :)
Gingerbread Men/Boys/Girls/People/Cookies
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sucanat
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Sucanat Powdered Sugar Frosting
Cream butter, sucanat and molasses together. Add eggs, vinegar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda and spices. Stir in flour and mix well. Cover and chill dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours (more is fine).
Roll out dough on a well floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut into desired shape. Bake cookies about 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet in a 375° oven for 5-8 minutes.
If you don’t put your cookies 1 inch apart on the pan, you’ll end up with one cookie kicking another cookie in the head. I tell ya, I can’t even get my cookies to behave sometimes. A mother’s work is never done…
I recommend spreading Sucanat Powdered Sugar Frosting on the cookies. I had a little bit of Chocolate Fudge Frosting leftover in the fridge and used that for faces and buttons.
I figured they wouldn’t mind if I put chocolate on their faces. I know I would never mind if someone wanted to put chocolate on my face. ;)
Can’t wait to try these, they look yummy!!!!
I would love to try this!
I made whole wheat gingerbread cookies for the first time this year. Yum!
Looks great.
Love that these are a healthier version. Hope you’re having a great Christmas week!
Ohh, those look so good!
Mmmm…but is there any substitute for molasses? I can’t find molasses in Asia! ;)
I am having more trouble substituting (is that a word?) whole wheat in my cookie recipes. My taste buds are so used to the white flour in cookies….
They look yummy, whatever you want to call them!
If my kitchen wasn’t in renovation mode, I would be trying these today!
Yum! Is it any wonder we all walk away after Christmas with our pants too tight?! :)
Those are so cute!! My husband has agreed to make cookies with our kids today, but he might shoot me if I suggested they make ANOTHER kind hmmm . . . .
Looks good. What type of molasses do you use? Last year, my friend made them with blackstrap!! Yikes, were they dark, and strong tasting! By the color of yours, it doesn’t look like you use that kind. I’ve never thought to use chocolate icing! Yum!
your gingerbread men look cute. wish i could do the whole wheat baking. dh can’t tolerate it.
Great recipe!
Since I don’t care much for gingerbread, my daughters and I make “gingerbread” men out of a chocolate cookie dough. I substitute some of the white flour called for in the recipe with whole wheat flour, making them at least a tad healthier!
another hit! thanks!
My 2 year old will be so excited to make these! He loves gingerbread men…but usually calls them “The Muffin Man”. So cute!!
So cute! I wouldn’t mind if someone put chocolate on my face either.:)
They are cute whatever you call them!
looks good!!
I so want to try these products, especially those cookies! YUM!
These look so fun! The kids would love helping with them!
These look very good, my boys would love these.
Looks good, can’t wait to try them!
Looks delicious and very fun to make!
The kids always want to make gingerbread men – the chocolate will do it for me! :)
delicious!
I love that you share these recipes. They really help me see how I can alter things for myself!
These look so good!
This recipe looks really good.
Looks like lots of fun… and I say “Gingerbread Men”… who cares about politicalness… lol… nice word!
I may have to try this next year. My 2 year old helped me make sugar cookies this year. Trust me, compared to a decapitated angel, letting one gingerbread person kick the other in the head is nothing! :)
Too cute to eat! How fun!
They look so yummy and soft. Are they soft?
Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve been waiting for this recipe! :-) now I can make them! Yummmmy!!!
Very cute!
These look great. thank you for sharing!
My son loves gingerbread cookies. I think I will make him some of these! :o)
We will definitely use this recipe next year!!
Maybe you could call it a gingerbread ‘community’? Thanks for posting the recipe!
Your gingerbread people look yummy, Laura! I want to pick one up out of the screen and bite its head off! :)
LoL. Thanks for the ideas!
they are so cute! i love gingerbread men!
I have never made gingerbread men before, I’ll have to make some sometime and your recipe looks really good.
This looks like a fun thing to do in a house full of kids! And if you put chocolate anywhere near my face . . . well, you know what can happen! ;)
We are enjoying the vanilla muffins this morning. Can’t wait to try the gingerbread man!
These look perfect!
These look delicious!
I may become the cookie monster soon!
These look and sound Yummy!
Kori
I think I’d go with Gingerbread men. Unless you put a skirt on one of them.
You have a wonderful sense of humor! Thanks for posting this recipe.
Mmm! They look delicious!!
Thanks for sharing this. We may give it a try today!
I agree; go traditional with “Gingerbread Men.” I love all things ginger, thanks!
Can’t wait to try this! My kids will be so excited!
Stay with tradition…Gingerbread Men. Lol. Have a very Merry Christmas!
tasty looking cookies
If only I had some molassis on hand…
Thank you for sharing this healthful and yummy-looking recipe. Do these cookies end up soft or crisp? It would be a fun project to make with my kids!
If I weren’t so busy baking your cinnamon swirl bread, I’d love to give these a try! Maybe an after-Christmas treat. :D And since they are wearing pants, after all, I think Gingerbread men is fully appropriate.
Interesting with the vinegar in the cookie recipe. I’ve never used that in my gingerbread before, but then again I’m fairly new to baking with all whole wheat flour.
I’m not a huge fan of gingerbread… I’ll have to try these and see if you can convince me to like them like the rest of the things on this site! I’ve become addicted to things I never thought I’d try.
Or how about Gingerbread Women? :)
Gingerbread Folk works for me.
I think it’s wonderful and cute that you took the time to think through men/boys/girls/etc. Honest, I would decorate some (healthy sprinkles or something of the sort) so you have men & women (or boys and girls) :-)
I will definitely be making these! I have an angel cookie cutter – mine will be gingerbread angels.
Those are so cute. I’d take chocolate faces any day. Yum.
I am ok with “gingerbread men”. I will have to make these soon. Yum!
Look great!
wow, you dough looks soooo yummy!
Definitely Gingerbread Men. I’m tired of having to think of politically correct responses to everything.
Again, you are too funny!
i am drooling!
They look yummy. Probably good without the icing too. Have a Great Holiday.
My son wanted me to make gingerbread cookies today. I might try this recipe. I was looking for one with whole wheat flour. Great timing.
Beautiful Cookies! Merry Christmas
Looking forward to trying this one too! Thanks Laura!
Aaaahhh, the recipe we have all been waiting for! Thanks so much for sharing!
I made gingerbread people today too. The house smells so good!
I have been thinking about making gingebread men thanks for the recipe. By the way I tried your vanilla muffins and they were a big hit over here…and the smell of them baking…heavenly.
I had been wondering how you got darker frosting for the faces!
I let my girls decorate their gingerbread kids with raisins before we bake them…they’re the only cookies I let them eat because then they’re healthy!
This is my favorite Christmas Brunch ever – thanks Laura!
I am putting this recipe away for next year . . . I just made my batch!
Gingerbread men encompasses all female men and all male men, so stay traditional, it works!!
I’ll have to make these sometime!
I love gingerbread and I love chocolate, but I’ve never tried the two together. Sounds like a winner!
Looks tasty! The cookies look thick. Is the texture more cake like?
Nummers, look forward to making them, but most of all consuming them…
Yum! Love gingerbread men!
If these taste as good as they look, they’ll be an endangered species in this house, no matter what the gender ;-)
How about a gender-neutral “Gingerbreadness”?! Like gingerbread and goodness all rolled into one!
Perfect!! I’ll be using this recipe this weekend! Thank you!
Those look lovely!
Very cute!
Mmmmm! I made some with my 3 year old. We put a cream cheese frosting on them.
mhmmmmm…..
“If you don’t put your cookies 1 inch apart on the pan, you’ll end up with one cookie kicking another cookie in the head. I tell ya, I can’t even get my cookies to behave sometimes. A mother’s work is never done…”
ROFLMHO!!! Thank you for a great laugh today.
How cute!
Conventional, white powdered sugar be gone. Welcome sucanat version!
I have never had gingerbread men before since my mother never liked them but these look great!
I might need to buy a gingerbread man cookie cutter, now!
Mmmmmm!
My kiddos and I are getting ready to make gingerbread cookies to leave on our gingerbread plate for Santa.
You bring such simple and great recipes. I need to make a file folder just for Heavenly Homemaker recipes. ;-)
Thanks again.
Jasmine
Totally cute!
Mmmmmmmm gingerbread!
Cute!!! I need some gingerbread now…
These would be a health food when eaten with a glass of milk in my book, lol! Yum.
How about boring ol’ “Gingerbread Cookies”? Then we don’t have to worry about leaving anyone out.
My daughter has decided that this year we’ll be making gingerbread girls. Usually we make frosted sugar cookies, but these will be a nice change.
I just ordered succanat from Azure so I can make some of your recipes!!
They surely do look yummy!
We just made these (without the icing) and they were adorable but were more of a cracker than a cookie. I’m not partial to things that are too sweet in general, but these tasted more of a whole wheat cracker than anything else. The flour had such a strong flavor that we couldn’t taste any of the spices, which was disappointing. These were, though, very cute and are nice if you are looking for a rather healthy cracker-type snack.
gjhgjh
just made these using a non gluten flour mix…DELICIOUS! Thinking next time to use flax meal instead of eggs for totally allergy free cookies. zOur daughter (3.5) totally enjoyed decorating them and now we have gifts for all her favorite people!
also we used coconut oil instead of butter and upped the ginger just a wee bit to make sure flavor came through.
how many does this make? I have a large family and usually have to double or triple but I thought I’d ask.
Katie
If I remember right, it makes about 18 big cookies. :)
these would be good to make and then read the book about The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
Are these gingerbread men soft or crispy? They look soft, they way we like them. :)
I’m ridiculously behind in answering questions – so sorry! They are soft if you roll them a little thicker and pull them out of the oven when they are bit under-done. But the get crispy if you leave them in the oven longer. So everyone can make them the way they like!