Gingerbread Man Cookie

Can I Freeze Gingerbread Man Cookies?

Yes! Gingerbread cookies are perfect for freezing after being baked or freezing the dough to be baked later.

Freezing Baked Cookies:

After the cookies have completely cooled (and before any decorating), place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze the cookies until they are solid. Then, transfer the cookies to a sealed, freezer-safe container. Label and date the bag; they will last up to three months. When ready to decorate, remove them from the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature (about an hour) before decorating.

Freezing Cookie Dough:

You can freeze the unrolled and uncut cookie dough by tightly wrapping the dough disc and thawing it when ready to roll, cut, and bake. You can also roll and cut out the gingerbread man cookies before freezing.

If you roll and cut out the cookies before freezing, lay the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place them in the freezer until the dough hardens. Then, transfer the cookies into freezer-safe containers. When ready to bake, simply bake them from frozen. 

Ingredients

▢3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour▢2 teaspoons ground ginger▢1 teaspoon baking soda▢1 teaspoon ground cinnamon▢½ teaspoon ground cloves▢¼ teaspoon kosher salt▢¾ cup (1 ½ sticks / 170 g) unsalted butter, softened▢1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, packed▢1 large egg, room temperature▢½ cup (168.5 g) molasses

Instructions

In a sifter, add the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Sift into a bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, being careful not to overmix.

Beat in the egg. Then, stir in the molasses.

Slowly add the sifted ingredients to the molasses mixture.

Press the dough into a disc and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 4 hours, or up to overnight. (If you do chill the dough overnight, you may have to set the dough out for 30 minutes before rolling it out. You may also have to add a teaspoon of water to the dough if it looks too dry or crumbly.)

When ready, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.

Use a 3-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out shapes.

Place on the lined baking sheet, leaving about 1-inch between each cookie.

Bake 8-10 minutes, or just until browned (but not cracked).

Let cool completely before decorating.