Christmas Gingerbread Men Cookies

Ingredients

• 120 g Unsalted butter (cut into pieces)
• 80 g Forest honey (about 2 tablespoons)
• 150 g Raw sugar (brown or cane)
• 250 g All-purpose flour (sift before use)
• 2 g Baking soda (about ½ teaspoon)
• 2 g Ground cinnamon (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1 g Ground star anise (about ½ teaspoon)
• 1 g Ground nutmeg (about ½ teaspoon)
• 2 g Ground ginger (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1 unit Egg (large, at room temperature)
• 150 g Powdered sugar (sift before use)
• 25 g Lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon)
• a few drops g Green gel food coloring (for the bow ties)
• a few drops g Red gel food coloring (for the buttons)

Instructions

1. Melt the butter, honey, and whole sugar

   Place the butter pieces, forest honey, and whole sugar in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture melts, bring to a boil, then cook for 2 minutes without stopping stirring.

   Time: PT7M

2. Let the mixture cool slightly

   Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken slightly as it cools.

   Time: PT10M

3. Prepare the dry ingredients

   In the mixer bowl, add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground star anise, nutmeg, and ground ginger. Mix the powders together well.

   Time: PT5M

4. Incorporate the warm mixture and the egg

   Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the warm mixture into it. Lightly beat the egg with a fork and add it to the well.

   Time: PT5M

5. Achieve a homogeneous dough

   Mix with the mixer paddle until the dough detaches from the bowl walls and forms a smooth ball.

   Time: PT3M

6. Chill the dough

   Turn the dough onto the work surface, shape into a ball, flatten slightly, wrap in plastic film and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.

   Time: PT45M

7. Roll out and cut the cookies

   On a lightly floured parchment sheet, roll the dough to about 5 mm thickness with a rolling pin. Cut man shapes with the cookie cutter, discard scraps, re‑roll and repeat until the dough is used up.

   Time: PT15M

8. Rest before baking

   Place the cut cookies on baking sheets, spacing them slightly, then refrigerate for 15 minutes before baking.

   Time: PT15M

9. Bake the cookies

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C fan‑forced. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes until lightly golden.

   Time: PT10M

   Temperature: 180°C

10. Cooling after baking

    Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely at room temperature.

    Time: PT5M

11. Prepare the royal icing

    In a bowl, mix 150 g powdered sugar with 25 g lemon juice. Whisk until you obtain a smooth, glossy icing, not too runny.

    Time: PT5M

12. Color the icing

    Divide the icing into three equal portions. Color one portion with green gel food coloring and another with red gel food coloring. The third remains white for details.

    Time: PT5M

13. Put the icing into piping bags

    Transfer each icing portion into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip.

    Time: PT2M

14. Decorate the cookies

    With the white icing, draw the eyes, mouth, and clothing. With the green icing, form the bow ties. With the red icing, add the buttons. Let dry for 15‑20 minutes.

    Time: PT20M

15. Final drying

    Leave the decorated cookies at room temperature for about an additional hour so the icing sets completely.

    Time: PT1H15M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

120

Protein

1 g

Carbohydrates

22 g

Fat

4 g

Fiber

1 g

Ingredient Substitutions

• Instead of Unsalted butter: margarine
• Instead of Forest honey: flower honey
• Instead of Raw sugar: brown sugar
• Instead of All-purpose flour: whole wheat flour
• Instead of Baking soda: baking powder (½ teaspoon)
• Instead of Ground cinnamon: ground cinnamon
• Instead of Ground star anise: ground anise
• Instead of Ground nutmeg: freshly grated nutmeg
• Instead of Ground ginger: fresh grated ginger
• Instead of Egg: apple sauce puree (¼ cup)
• Instead of Powdered sugar: sugar powder
• Instead of Lemon juice: apple cider vinegar (½ tablespoon)
• Instead of Green gel food coloring: green liquid food coloring
• Instead of Red gel food coloring: red liquid food coloring

Equipment Needed

• Saucepan
• Mixer bowl
• Stand mixer (or hand whisk)
• Silicone spatula
• Rolling pin
• Man-shaped cookie cutter
• Parchment paper
• Plastic wrap
• Baking sheets
• Cooling rack
• Mixing bowl
• Piping bag (or zip‑top bag)
• Whisk
• Oven (fan‑forced)

Critical Steps — Do Not Skip

• Melt the butter, honey and sugar without burning
• Achieve a dough that releases from the bowl walls
• Baking: do not overbake the cookies
• Decoration: let the icing dry properly

Chef Tips from the Video

• Use unsalted butter to better control the salt
• Sift powdered sugar to avoid lumps in the icing
• Lightly dust the work surface with powdered sugar to ease rolling the dough
• For more intense colors, let the coloring sit for 5 minutes before adding to the icing

Troubleshooting

Storage

Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Freezer: Not recommended; the icing may lose its texture.

Room temperature: At room temperature, the cookies keep for 5 days in an airtight container.

Make-Ahead Tips

• The dough can be prepared 2 days ahead and kept in the refrigerator
• Royal icing keeps for 1 day in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap
• Baked cookies can be stored for 5 days before decorating