Gingerbread Men - Sweet Christmas Cookies for Holidays
The sight and aroma of gingerbread men wafting from the oven on a cold winter’s day, evoke memories of cozy nights spent with family gathered around the fire.
Gingerbread cookies have been a seasonal favorite for hundreds of years, from Europe to the United States. Whether you spell them gingerbread men, gingerbread boys, or gingerbread cookies; they evoke the warmth and love at the heart of the holidays.
These lightly spiced crisp cookies a re dressed up with bright candy eyes and a cheerful scarf, making them a must-have on your Christmas cookie platter.
Perfect for gifting, gingerbread men are a fun activity to make with children as they look for ingredients right from the spice rack and use their creativity to craft the perfect unique gingerbread cookie.
History of Gingerbread Men
Gingerbread-style cookies date back to 11th century Europe, when Crusaders brought back the exotic spice of ginger. Gingerbread has been a tradition in Europe ever since and the cookies can take on different shapes in different countries.
In England, where the tradition of making gingerbread men was first recorded in the early 1700s, the cookies are often called gingerbread men and are thought to have been derived from Queen Elizabeth's popular gingerbread court. She gave gingerbread men as gifts, recognizing them for their loyalty.
Baking a Perfect Gingerbread Man
Making the perfect gingerbread man is all about finding the right balance between spices and sugar. The spice mix often includes cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves, while molasses provides the sweet caramel flavor and the golden brown hue.
When it comes to the dough, use cold butter for flakiness and chill the dough before rolling out. You can use a gingerbread man cookie cutter or other shapes depending on your preference.
Bake until your gingerbread men are a rich golden brown color. Add your favorite confections like gumdrops, licorice, ginger, and M&M’s to create personalized designs.
For a perfect finish, brush your gingerbread men with a little honey or egg white for shine and package them up in bags with delicious candy treats.
Let's See Gingerbread Men's Photo
