How To Make Easy And Adorable Gingerbread Men: Complete Instructions And Recipe For Delicious Gingerbread

The Gingerbread Boy was a tale written in about 1875. The author remains unknown, but the story has been told all through the years and so it goes:

Once upon a time, an old woman and her husband lived alone in a little old house. The couple had no children. The old woman was very lonely, and wanted a little boy. She decided to make a little boy out of Gingerbread. She carefully mixed the batter, rolled out the dough, and cut out out a very nice gingerbread man. She added sugar icing for his hair, mouth, and clothes, and she used candy chips for buttons and eyes.

What a fine looking gingerbread man he was! The old woman put him in the oven to bake. After he was fully done, she slowly opened the oven door. Up jumped the gingerbread man, and he ran out the door saying,

"Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me! I'm the Gingerbread Man!"

The old woman and the old man ran after him, but could not catch him! The Gingerbread Man goes on to outrun several farmers, and farm animals, all the time taunting them:

"I've run away from a little old woman, and a little old man, and I can run away from you, I can, I can!"

The tale ends with a fox catching the little Gingerbread Man and eats him!

It just wouldn’t be Christmas without making a Gingerbread House and Gingerbread Men! Just the aroma of gingerbread baking brings back such wonderful memories of my children gathered in the kitchen to help make the annual house and the little men.

I have used this recipe for making the gingerbread for many years. It is easy to do, and you will be so proud of your creations. I will give you a link for the instructions on how to make a Gingerbread House at the end of this article.

This recipe will make about 20 Gingerbread Men.

For the Gingerbread you will need;

5 Cups of Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Ginger

½ teaspoon Cinnamon

½ teaspoon Ground Cloves

½ teaspoon Salt

¾ Cup Crisco

1 Egg

1 Cup Dark Molasses (I like Grandma’s)

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

Waxed Paper

Rolling Pin

Pam for the baking sheet

A Gingerbread Man cutter.

In a large bowl:

Mix the Flour, Soda, Ginger, Cinnamon, Ground Cloves, and Salt

Set aside.

In another large bowl:

Cream the Shortening and Sugar till fluffy. Add the Egg, and Molasses.

Beat until smooth.

Add the flour mixture, 1 cup at a time.

You will need to mix the dough with your hands till it’s nice and smooth. If it’s too stiff, add just a little milk. You want the dough like rolled cookie dough.

After you have worked the dough, divide it into 5 balls.

Place one sheet of waxed paper on your work surface. Place one of the balls of gingerbread dough on the waxed paper, and then place another sheet of waxed paper on top.

Roll out the dough. Flip it over, and continue to roll until it’s nice and smooth.

The dough should be rolled out until it’s about ¼ inch thick.

Use the gingerbread cutter to cut out the Gingerbread Men. Gently pick up each man, and place it on the baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 10 minutes.

After the men have cooled, you are ready to decorate them.

For the Frosting to Decorate the Gingerbread Men you will need;

3 Tablespoons Meringue Powder

6 Tablespoons Warm Water

1 pound box of Confectioner’s Sugar

A decorating bag with a very small tip.

Some people like to use Royal Icing instead of the Meringue Powder. I prefer the powder rather than use so many egg whites for a traditional Royal Icing.

Mix the Meringue Powder, Water, and Sugar in a large bowl until it holds a peak.

If you have any leftover Meringue, cover it with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate

Place a small amount into the Decorating Bag, and Decorate the Gingerbread Men. If you do not have a decorator bag, place a small amount of the meringue into a Ziploc bag that you have cut a small hole in one corner of the bag.

We enjoy writing the names of the children in the family on the Gingerbread Men. After the frosting is hard the men can be placed in a sandwich sized Ziploc bag. They can be hung on the Christmas tree as ornaments, or just gifted to each child or guest.

These Gingerbread Men can be frozen and enjoyed later, too.

I hope you will make some Gingerbread Men to add to your Christmas celebration.