Gingerbread Men Refrigerator Dough
Submitted by spin33
Gingerbread men cookie dough with dark molasses, brown sugar, and four warm spices. Make the dough one day, refrigerate overnight, and cut and bake the next for crisp, spiced cookies.
YIELD
48 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
12 minREADY
42 minThis is a make-ahead gingerbread cookie dough that you mix one day and bake the next. The overnight refrigeration isn’t just for convenience. It firms the butter-molasses dough so it rolls out cleanly without sticking, and it gives the spices time to bloom and deepen in flavor. Freshly mixed gingerbread dough is sticky and hard to handle. Chilled dough rolls like a dream.
Dark molasses and dark brown sugar together give these cookies a deep, almost smoky sweetness that lighter versions can’t match. The four-spice blend (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice) creates that classic gingerbread warmth that fills the whole kitchen while they bake.
Adding the flour one cup at a time and kneading until smooth gives you the right consistency. If the dough still sticks to your hands after all the flour is in, add a little more in small increments. The texture should be firm enough to roll without cracking but soft enough to cut cleanly with a cookie cutter.
Roll to a quarter inch for cookies that hold their shape and have a satisfying snap. Thinner and they burn at the edges. Thicker and they stay soft and chewy in the center.
Pro Tips
- Don’t freeze this dough. Freezing changes the moisture content and the texture won’t be the same after thawing. Refrigerator only.
- Press raisin eyes and buttons into the dough firmly before baking. Light pressure and they pop off as the cookies cool.
- Wait 2 to 3 minutes after removing from the oven before transferring. Too soon and they’ll bend and break. Too long and they stick to the sheet.
- Work with one half of the dough at a time, keeping the other half refrigerated. Warm dough softens fast and becomes hard to cut.
Variations
- Decorate with royal icing (powdered sugar, egg white, lemon juice) after cooling for a festive holiday look.
- Add a teaspoon of black pepper to the spice blend for a sharper, more complex gingerbread with a spicy finish.
- Use the same dough to cut gingerbread houses, stars, or any holiday shape.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
Beat in the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice.
Mix well.
Stir in the molasses, then add the water.
Gradually work the flour into the batter, 1 cup at a time.
Knead the mixture into a smooth dough.
If the dough is sticky, add more flour, a little at a time, until it is easier to work.
Divide the dough into two equal parts.
Wrap each half in waxed paper and refrigerate overnight.
Do not freeze.
The next day, preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Lightly grease two large baking sheet with butter or vegetable shortening.
On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of ¼ inch.
Cut out the cookies using a 3-inch-tall gingerbread man cookie cutter.
Place the cookies 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.
Create the eyes and buttons with the raisins.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies have browned around the edges.
Remove from the oven.
After the cookies have cooled for 2 to 3 minutes, but are still warm to the touch, use a spatula to transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
Comments
What does 1 x raisins mean?