Gingerbread Boys and Girls

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Gingerbread Boys and Girls Gingerbread Boys and Girls Recipe Courtesy of

54321 Based on 30 Reviews

Tasty and pretty, the perfect cookie to bake with your children or grandchildren.

Servings: 18 to 24 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutters
Prep Time: 1 hour 50 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients Add to grocery list

2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup molasses
3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
2   large eggs
1   stick butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoon milk
Food coloring as desired

Directions

Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the sugar and butter until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and molasses and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine with a spoon or spatula.

Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap; place in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, until pliable. Take about 1/2 cup of dough at a time and roll onto a floured board until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out with gingerbread boy and girl cookie cutters. You can reroll the scraps. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies from the board to the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes, until just beginning to brown at the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

To make the icing, combine the confectioners’ sugar and milk. Divide the mixture into thirds; leave one-third white, and color one-third green and the final third red. Decorate piping eyes, mouths, buttons, and bow ties.

This recipe is one of our Gifts from the Kitchen. Click here to see other Gifts from the Kitchen.

Show: Paula's Home Cooking
          Watch Paula on Food Network

Publication: Paula Deen and Friends cookbook Pg. 100/Christmas with Paula Deen book

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Leave a Comment

Reader Comments:

54321

Paula, love yea, I am making a star cookie tree, my icing never gets hard enough and sticks to the other cookies when I stack them, whats the trick to a harder icing? thanks

By Mickee Hicks on December 26, 2011

14321

I made these for Christmas and the wow factor wasn't there. I didn't even decorate them, they tasted like flour. It seems like the recipe is off, using all that flour compared to the amount of nut Meg and other spices. Il have to find a different gingerbread recipe these were to plain for me.

By Crystal on December 25, 2011

54321

For cookies I cut the butter in half and replace with 1/4 cup lard (fat). It makes the cookie crisp. thanks for your milk free edible icing recipe.

By de.doughboy on December 23, 2011

54321

I've made these gingerbread boys and girls every year for the past 3 years. They are now a holiday favorite among friends, family, and co-workers. They are easy to make and turn out perfect every time! Excellent recipe! Thanks Paula! smile Valerie Gordon Valencia, CA

By Valerie Gordon on December 21, 2011

54321

love it

By penny on December 21, 2011

14321

Absolutely no flavor, which I should have guessed from the reviews which raved about the "not too strong" ginger taste. Did anyone try this recipe before it got posted? Only two teaspoons of ginger for almost four cups of flour? You have to at least double the spices to make the stuff edible. I suppose these would be just fine if you're into canned spaghetti and Wonder bread.

By Kathy on December 16, 2011

54321

I've made gingerbread cookies for the past several years for our cookie exchange at work. This year i used this recipe and have had endless compliments on how delicious they are; by far the best ones i've ever made! I'm sticking with this one from now on. They truly are scrumptious!

By Kara on December 14, 2011

54321

I just to let you that I have your cooking bible and LOVE IT,LOVE IT!!!!!Keep up the good work Paula.

By JoAllen Winter on December 13, 2011

54321

LOVE IT! after reading the other reviews i used 3 cups of flour and left out the 3/4. the cookies came out amazing and i will definitely use this recipe again. i have never made gingerbread cookies for as long as i have been baking so i was a little scared as to how they would come out... but they came out really good!!!

By Essence on December 12, 2011

21321

I love every recipe I have tried by you, but this one is a bit bland. The dough was simple and they came out beautiful but they have no taste. Almost like eating shaped bread.

By Jamie Carr on December 09, 2011

54321

Very good and tasty

By Sara on December 04, 2011

54321

Dear Paula, i just adore you and simply love your show and cooking. you are so beautiful! thankyou for the good you do for our world. god bless you. Bevery Almisbah,Converse Texas

By beverly almisbah on November 29, 2011

21321

I am very disappointed with this recipe. The dough is so dry that it just crumbles as i am trying to roll it out. It has taken me well over the prep time and I have a very impatient toddler waiting to decorate his cookies for his friends!!! Will not waste my time again with this recipe!!!

By Deanna on December 23, 2010

54321

I have never had cookie dough turn out sooooo perfectly as these gingerbread girls and boys!!! Thank you ,Paula, for another wonderful treat! Merry Christmas! 2010

By Dawn Tolson on December 23, 2010

54321

By Anonymous on December 23, 2010

54321

I've made these cookies last year and I'm about to make them again I liked them so much. Instead of gingerbread boy and girl I made stars in three different shapes,then packaged them in clear celaphane bags, decorated with pretty ribbons to give to the kid's teachers. They turned out so cute and tasted great! The dough is very easy to manipulate and bakes beautifully!

By Alicia Jordan on December 14, 2010

54321

I had to add another stick of butter to even get the cookie dough to roll. I'm baking the cookies right now so I don't know what damage the added butter will do!

By Lois Fohl on December 11, 2010

54321

By Anonymous on December 03, 2010

54321

By Anonymous on November 30, 2010

54321

These are great I make them every year, the dough is very forgiving, the ginger taste is just right not too strong.

By Anonymous on November 10, 2010

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