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    Home » Dessert » Gingerbread Men

    Dec 12, 2013 · Updated: Feb 11, 2020 · This post may contain affiliate links · 13 Comments ·

    Gingerbread Men

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Gingerbread men cookies on a countertop.

    You know what I love?  I love the incredible capacity children have for sugar. It’s one of the great tragedies of life–once we’re old enough to eat as much candy as we want, we don’t want to eat it anymore.  I still love watching kids eat it though!

    I created this recipe for Jack’s kindergarten class.  His awesome teacher had a great idea for a “P” themed party with plans to decorate “people” cookies.  I have another dairy and egg free gingerbread recipe, perfect for making gingerbread houses, but wanted to come up with a thick and soft gingerbread cookie for his class.

    At home, I decorated mine in classic fashion.  For the school kids, I made vanilla frosting and they decorated with licorice, Skittles, Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips and sprinkles until the cookies couldn’t hold any more. We had a few casualties…and took some crime scene photos. Enjoy!

    Kids decorating gingerbread men with candy and frosting.
    Kids decorating gingerbread men with candy and frosting.
    Kids decorating gingerbread men with candy and frosting.

    Sugar!

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    Dairy, Egg and Nut-Free Gingerbread Men Recipe--vegan too. | speedbumpkitchen.com

    Dairy-Free Gingerbread Men


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    • Total Time: 45 minutes
    • Yield: 24 cookies (depending on size) 1x
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    Description

    These gingerbread men cookies are dairy-free and egg-free, they are also vegan.  They’re perfect for decorating!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • ¾ cup brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
    • 2 teaspoons ginger
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¾ cup shortening
    • ¾ cup molasses
    • 2 tablespoons dairy-free milk 

    Instructions

    1. In the bowl of a food processor, mix the flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda and spices. Pulse until its mixed well.
    2. Add the shortening and pulse until it’s incorporated.
    3. Mix the molasses and dairy-free milk together in a measuring cup with a spout.
    4. Slowly pour the molasses-milk mixture into the food processor while pulsing to mix.
    5. Process until the dough comes together in a nice ball.
    6. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
    7. To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 325.
    8. Roll the dough out between two sheets of plastic wrap to ¼ inch or so (this way avoids using extra flour to keep the dough from sticking to your rolling pin or counter. Extra flour makes cookies dried out and tough).
    9. Cut into shapes and cook on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 12-15 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies, smaller gingerbread men will cook faster than my big ones).
    10. Let cool before decorating, enjoy!

    Equipment

    Gingerbread Cookie Cutter

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    Cooling Rack

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    Big Sheet Pans

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    Notes

    I love making cookie dough in my food processor, it turns out so smooth, like Play-doh.  You can make this with a hand mixer and it will turn out just fine!

    I used Silk Coconut milk and Spectrum Palm Oil Shortening in this recipe. If you need ideas on products, see my posts on dairy-free milk alternatives and dairy-free butter alternatives. 

    • Prep Time: 30 minutes (including time to chill & roll the dough)
    • Cook Time: 15 minutes
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Baked
    • Cuisine: American

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @megedison on Instagram and hashtag it #speedbumpkitchen

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    Dairy, Egg and Nut-Free Gingerbread Men Recipe--vegan too. | speedbumpkitchen.com

    Egg-Free Royal Icing


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    • Total Time: 5 minutes
    • Yield: 2 cups 1x
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    Description

    This simple egg-free royal icing is perfect for cookie decorations. It dries hard and is smooth and shiny!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 2 cups powdered sugar
    • 2 T. cornstarch
    • 2 T. Water

    Instructions

    1. Mix the powdered sugar and cornstarch together.
    2. Add water a tablespoon at a time. This is super-thick icing that hardens quickly when piped on, so don’t make it too runny or your decorations will spread into blobs.

    Equipment

    Wilton Decorating Tips

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    Hand Mixer

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    Mixing Bowls

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    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Mixed
    • Cuisine: American

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @megedison on Instagram and hashtag it #speedbumpkitchen

    Gingerbread Man Crime Scene! Dairy, Egg and Nut-Free Gingerbread Men Recipe--vegan too. | speedbumpkitchen.com

    Poor Dudes!


    « Homemade Egg Free Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
    Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches »

    About Meg

    Hi there! I ♡ cooking , I ♡ being a pediatrician, and I ♡ camping in our Airstream. All the Speedbump recipes are dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free for the food allergic kids here. 🚫🥛🥚🥜

    Please leave a comment, rate the recipe, let me know what you think!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. youngmarriedmom says

      December 12, 2013 at 2:48 pm

      I knew you’d have an egg-free royal icing recipe for me. You just saved Christmas! 🙂

      Reply
    2. Meg says

      December 12, 2013 at 2:58 pm

      Glad to help! If you want a softer, glossy icing, to cover a whole cookie…go for the version in the Camper Cookies: https://speedbumpkitchen.com/camper-cookies/ The version I used here turns crunchy, like candy, and doesn’t bleed at all.

      Reply
    3. Lynn says

      December 12, 2013 at 4:23 pm

      Perfect timing! I was on your website last night looking for a gingerbread cookie recipe.

      Reply
    4. Liz says

      December 12, 2013 at 8:28 pm

      Can’t wait to try these. I am making your pizzelle recipe for my 1st grader whole class next week for their celebration of Christmas Around the World. Thank You!

      Reply
    5. Kathryn @ Mamacado says

      December 30, 2013 at 9:32 am

      Thanks for this recipe! We made these for Christmas and my son loved decorating them. Just blogged about it and linked to your recipe! http://www.mamacado.com/2013/12/a-sweet-christmas.html

      Reply
    6. Clare says

      December 09, 2014 at 8:08 am

      These look awesome! I like to order a egg free dairy free treats from http://www.eloisespastries.com They ship right to my door.

      Reply
    7. Glenna says

      December 22, 2014 at 12:11 pm

      Just made these for my grandchildren. What a hit! Grandma and grandpa like the taste as well…they taste like the Biscoff cookies you get on the airplane. Yum! I also like the firmer texture of these gingerbread men, they make for better tree ornament cookies. A definite keeper in my “Katie friendly” recipes. Thank you.

      Reply
    8. Ashima says

      November 08, 2015 at 8:27 am

      We don’t get molasses easily here in India, can I use golden syrup?

      Reply
      • Meagan says

        November 18, 2015 at 2:10 am

        Treacle might be better than golden syrup, depending on the taste you are after. I haven’t made these particular cookies, but generally treacle or a mix of treacle & golden syrup is found in Gingerbread recipes. It gives it a deeper flavour. You may need to do a little search on replacing molasses with other liquid sugars to see if there is a difference in the amount you need….

        Reply
    9. Jessica says

      December 10, 2015 at 10:02 am

      How many cookies does this recipe make?

      Reply
    10. Camille says

      December 21, 2016 at 1:32 pm

      What can be used instead of shorting? Butter? And how much?

      Reply
      • Meg says

        December 21, 2016 at 2:41 pm

        Camille, you can use the same amount of unsalted butter, 3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks. Just make sure it’s room temperature and soft. If I’m in a hurry and my butter is cold, I grate it with a cheese grater onto a big plate. It warms up and softens much quicker that way!

        Make sure you chill the dough before rolling out and cutting. I’d also put the cookies sheets with the uncooked cut cookies into the fridge or freezer for a bit before baking as well. Butter in cookie dough melts quickly and the cookies can spread, you’d have some funny looking gingerbread men if you put warm dough directly into the oven!

        Reply
    11. Kenzie says

      November 12, 2018 at 10:19 am

      Can these be done with an all purpose gluten free flour?

      Reply

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    Welcome to Speedbump Kitchen. Everything here is dairy, egg and nut-free. We're not vegan or much about health food. Sugar, chocolate, & bacon are on tap. This is fun food for the coolest allergic kids out there. In my spare time I'm a pediatrician and expert level Airstreamer.
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