Old Fashioned Iced Gingerbread Man Cookies

Nauvoo Illinois is a very niche town, best known for its rich Mormon pioneer heritage. If you are from the East Coast and know anything about Colonial Williamsburg, Nauvoo is its Mormon equivalent. Originally opening its doors in the 1840's, the Scovil Bakery sold baked goods made by the women in town, but nowadays it is a Nauvoo historical site that visitors can tour. Some say that this recipe for gingerbread cookies dates back to the original bakery, but it could also simply be one they've shared with tours for the past several decades. Either way, it's yummy and makes the best gingerbread cookies.

Why I Like This Recipe

• Makes a huge batch. This recipe makes about 180 mini gingerbread men when using a 1½-inch cookie cutter, making it perfect for holiday baking, cookie exchanges, and gifting.
• Soft or crunchy. Bake the cookies for 7–8 minutes for softer gingerbread cookies or a couple of minutes longer for a crunchier texture.
• Simple icing. The two-ingredient powdered sugar icing is easy to make and dries into a thin, slightly crisp coating that makes these cookies especially easy to package and share.
• Perfect for gifting. The small size makes these gingerbread men easy to package in bakery boxes, bags, or jars for neighbors, friends, teachers, and family.
• Freezer-friendly. Gingerbread cookies keep well and freeze beautifully, making them a great make-ahead Christmas cookie.
• A recipe with history. The recipe was shared by Nauvoo Mercantile and inspired by the historic Scovil Bakery in Nauvoo, Illinois. I adapted it by using butter instead of lard, adding more ginger and cloves, and dipping the cookies in icing.

What Others Are Saying

I made these today! They are soo good! And I used lard as you said the original recipe called for lard! I can't believe how yummy they truly are! I put a little lemon extract in my icing. Thank you for the recipe.---@Mizzcookie_64 on Instagram

I made ¼ recipe and I used lard instead of butter. And I add a little lemon extract in my glaze. these are soo good!---Shawn on Facebook

The Story Behind These Gingerbread Cookies

These mini gingerbread men are inspired by the historic Scovil Bakery in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Nauvoo is a small historic town known for its Mormon pioneer heritage. The Scovil Bakery originally opened in the 1840s and was operated by women in the community who sold baked goods.

The recipe I started with was graciously shared by Nauvoo Mercantile. Some people say the recipe dates back to the original bakery, while others believe it may simply be a recipe that has been shared with visitors for many years. Either way, it makes delicious gingerbread cookies!

The original recipe calls for lard. I adapted it to use butter, increased the ginger, added ground cloves, and finished the cookies with a simple icing inspired by the way Iced Gingerbread Cookies are made at home.

Tips and Tricks

• Chill the dough. The dough needs to chill for about an hour, but this makes it much easier to roll and cut. Don't skip this step.
• Lightly flour your work surface. The dough isn't especially sticky, but a light dusting of flour keeps it easy to work with when rolling and cutting.
• Use a small cookie cutter. I use a 1½–2-inch gingerbread man cutter. A smaller cutter gives you the classic little gingerbread men and produces a very large batch.
• Adjust the baking time for texture. Bake for 7–8 minutes for soft cookies or 9–10 minutes if you prefer a crunchier gingerbread cookie.
• Don't overwork the dough. Mix just until the flour is incorporated. Overworking the dough can make the cookies tougher.
• Let the cookies cool completely before icing. Warm cookies will cause the icing to melt and slide off rather than forming a smooth coating.
• Smooth the icing while it's wet. Dip each cookie into the icing, then use a small spatula or butter knife to smooth the top. It's perfectly fine if some icing drips over the edges. The rustic look is part of their charm.

Ingredients

• Sugar: I typically use a combination of brown sugar and white sugar in my cookies, but for gingerbread cookies it's white sugar all the way.
• Molasses: regular molassses, nothing fancy.
• Butter: I always bake with salted butter, but you can use unsalted if you prefer. The original recipe calls for lard or shortening. I prefer butter, but you can use whatever you'd like.
• Water: you'll need hot water for this recipe. Hot tap water works fine, no need to use boiling water.
• Eggs: for richness and texture.
• Baking Soda and Salt: for leavening and flavor.
• Ground Ginger, Ground Cinnamon and Ground Cloves: my favorite blend of spices for gingerbread cookies. The original recipe doesn't call for cloves and only calls for a teaspoon of ginger.
• Flour: I use 6 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, but the original recipe calls for 4 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 cups of whole wheat flour.
• Powdered Sugar and Milk: These are mixed together to make the icing.
  

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Iced Gingerbread Man Cookies

Step 1: Combine sugar, molasses, and softened butter. Mix until smooth. Add hot water and mix. Mix in eggs.

Step 2: Add dry ingredients and mix until dough forms.

Step 3: Divide the dough into two sections. Wrap each section in plastic and refrigerate for 60-90 minutes.

Step 4: Roll each section of dough ¼" thick and cut with cookie cutters. I used a 1 ½-2" cookie cutter.

Place cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Step 5: Bake for 7-8 minutes for soft cookies and 9-10 minutes for crunchier cookies. Let cookies cool completely on baking sheets.

Step 6: Mix powdered sugar and milk together to make the icing.

Dip each cookie into icing then smooth the tops of the cookies with a small spatula or butter knife (watch my video to see how I do this). It's ok if the icing drops off the sides a little. These are meant to imperfect. The icing will harden onto each cookie in a thin layer.

Place the cookies back onto the baking sheet to dry.

How to Get Soft or Crunchy Gingerbread Cookies

The baking time determines the texture of these gingerbread men.

For soft gingerbread cookies, bake for 7–8 minutes.

For crunchier gingerbread cookies, bake for 9–10 minutes.

If you're making very small cookies, keep an eye on them toward the end of the baking time because smaller cookies can bake quickly.

How Many Cookies Does This Recipe Make?

When using a 1½-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter, this recipe makes about 180 mini cookies.

A larger cookie cutter will produce fewer cookies. You can also make a half batch if you don't need quite so many. The large yield is one of the reasons I love making these for Christmas cookie exchanges and holiday gifting.

Gingerbread Man Cookies FAQs

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