Gingerbread Boys and Girls

  • Pin It
  • print
  • email to a friend
Gingerbread Boys and Girls Gingerbread Boys and Girls Recipe Courtesy of

54321 Based on 40 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

You May Also Like These Recipes:

You May Also Like These Articles:

Leave a Comment

Reader Comments:

54321

I love these cookies and live to cook I was raised in a ranch in NM, and we always eat homemade foods, I love Paula's recipe's

By Mary montsno on December 23, 2012

14321

Help, Help,Help--what did I do wrong. My dough is a bunch of crumbs!!!!!! No way can it be rolled out!!!! I need help.

By Irene Navin on December 14, 2012

54321

love gingerbread cookies!!!!

By Anonymous on December 12, 2012

54321

I love all your recipes. My grandchilderen helps me make them.

By isabel kelley on December 11, 2012

54321

Thank you for this recipe for the gingerbread cookies. My mom use to bake them for us. She died, so, I didn't have it.

By denise on November 26, 2012

54321

I loved it! I just finished making them and they turned out great! Thank you Paula for all the good tips!

By Dan butte on November 25, 2012

54321

ES CREATIVA , Y ME GUSTO MUCHO,busco una receta que lleva azucar negra,mantequilla,nueces,coco rallado,azucar de confeccion, y es un bizcocho, que se hace otra cosa con este bizcocho.

By zulma otero on November 25, 2012

54321

I am a big fan and love your show. I love to cook but I don't have much experience. The only real thing I have made so far is mashed potatoes. Anyways, I think this will be a good start and am sooo exited to make it! Thanks for all the good tips!

By Dan butte on November 18, 2012

54321

You Rock Paula I Love you showes and am a big fan! I like to cook bet I'm not that experienced, so I think this will be a good start. Thanks for the good tips.

By Dan Butte on November 18, 2012

54321

Im your biggest fan please send me your three chocolate cookies.

By ryonna on March 08, 2012

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

My Recipe Box |

Connect with Paula

Paula's Upcoming Schedule

  • June 3: Deen Family Book Signing

    Join Paula and Jamie for a book signing at Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House in Savannah from 10 am to 12 pm. Trolley service available in Johnson Square from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Only 350 tickets will be given out starting 1 hour before the book signing. No cameras permitted; a professional photographer will be on site to take your photo. 

  • June 14: American Red Cross Blood Drive in Savannah

    Please visit redcrossblood.org and use the sponsor code “butter”, or call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment. 

  • August 28: Deen Family Book Signing

    Join Paula, Bobby and Jamie for a book signing at the Lady and Sons restaurant in Savannah from 2 to 4 pm. Only 350 tickets will be given out starting 1 hour before the book signing. No cameras permitted; a professional photographer will be on site to take your photo.

  • September 14: Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show in Houston, TX

    Join Paula at the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show in Houston, TX. Tickets on sale now.

  • September 21 and 22: Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show in Dallas, TX

    Join Paula at the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show in Dallas, TX. Tickets on sale now.

  • September 23: Deen Family Book Signing

    Join Paula and Bobby for a book signing at Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House in Savannah from 10 am to 12 pm. Trolley service available in Johnson Square from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Only 350 tickets will be given out starting 1 hour before the book signing. No cameras permitted; a professional photographer will be on site to take your photo.

  • View Paula's Full Schedule

Recent Shows & Recipes