Gingerbread People Cookies
Gingerbread cookies are a holiday classic! I like to use all kinds of cookie cutters to create these—not just the traditional ones—because everyone deserves to be represented, even in cookie form. These Gingerbread People Cookies offer a warm, spiced flavor with a hint of sweetness. The firm yet slightly chewy texture makes it hard to stop at just one! Whether you go all out with icing, candies, and sprinkles or enjoy them plain, these cookies are always a festive favorite.
Why You’ll Love Gingerbread People Cookies
- Warm and Spiced: Perfectly balanced with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Inclusive and Fun: Use any cookie cutter shapes to create a festive variety of gingerbread people.
- Customizable: Decorate with icing, sprinkles, or leave them plain—they’re delicious either way.
- Chewy Yet Firm: The texture holds up for decorating while staying slightly chewy inside.
What You Need To Make Gingerbread People Cookies
For the Dough:
- All-purpose flour (or gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour)
- Organic cane sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Cornstarch
- Ground ginger
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Sea salt
- Ground nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon
- Canola oil
- Molasses
- Unsweetened soy or almond milk
For the Icing:
- Vegan butter
- Organic confectioners’ sugar
- Plain or vanilla nondairy milk
Check the recipe card for exact measurements.
How To Make Gingerbread People Cookies
- Prepare the Dough:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugars, cornstarch, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the canola oil, molasses, and milk. Mix with a paddle attachment until the dough comes together. If it’s too dry, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough is malleable like Play-Doh.
- Roll and Cut:
- Divide the dough in half. Roll out one half on a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thick.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Gather scraps, roll again, and repeat.
- Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the bottoms are just turning brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
- Make the Icing:
- In a stand mixer, beat the vegan butter and confectioners’ sugar together, adding milk as needed to achieve a thick, pipeable glaze.
- Decorate:
- Use a piping bag with a small tip (or a plastic bag with a tiny corner cut off) to pipe faces, outlines, and festive designs onto the cookies. The icing will harden as it sets.
Enjoy decorating your gingerbread people with as much (or as little) flair as you like!
How do I store gingerbread people cookies?
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. If decorated, allow the icing to fully harden before storing.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes! You can refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days. Let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before rolling out.
Can I make these cookies gluten-free?
Absolutely! Substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free 1-to-1 baking blend for a delicious gluten-free option.
How do I get the icing to set faster?
Pop the decorated cookies in the refrigerator for a few minutes to speed up the icing hardening process.
Gingerbread People Cookies – Festive and Vegan-Friendly
These gingerbread people cookies are warmly spiced, chewy, and perfect for decorating. A festive vegan holiday treat that’s easy to make and fun to share!
Ingredients
- For the cookie dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup unsweetened soy or almond milk
- For the icing:
- ⅓ cup vegan butter melted
- 3 cups organic confectioners’ sugar sifted
- 4 to 5 teaspoons plain or vanilla nondairy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine. Add the canola oil, molasses, and milk and mix with a paddle attachment on low speed until well combined. The consistency should be at the perfect place between wet and dry. If the dough isn’t coming together when pressed together into a ball, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until malleable like Play-Doh.
- Split the dough in half. Roll the first half out onto a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thick. Cut out the desired gingerbread people shapes and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Push the scraps of dough together and continue to roll out and cut out shapes to use all of the dough. Bake for 8-10 minutes until bottoms are just turning brown.
- Repeat with remaining dough until all cookies are baked. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, add the butter and sugar to a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on low to combine. Add milk as needed to loosen it up. It will become a thick enough glaze to pipe into a thin line outlining the gingerbread people. The glaze will harden as it sets, and you can set it in the refrigerator to speed this along.
- Use a #3 tip or writing frosting tip, or cut off the smallest corner of a sealable plastic bag. Fill with frosting and pipe out eyes, smiles, and outlines onto your gingerbread people as you wish.
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