Gingerbread Boys and Girls

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Show: Paula's Home CookingEpisode: Southern Holiday

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (69)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(69)

Cook Time:
10 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
18 to 24 cookies

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: 1 hr 20 min
Cook: 10 min
Total:: 2 hr 0 min

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Ingredients

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 stick butter or margarine, softened
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Icing:

1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Food coloring, as desired

Directions

Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the sugar and butter until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and molasses and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine with a spoon or spatula.

Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap; place in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, until pliable. Take about 1/2 cup of dough at a time and roll onto a floured board until about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out with gingerbread boy and girl cookie cutters. You can re-roll the scraps. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies from the board to the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes, until just beginning to brown at the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

To make the icing, combine the confectioners' sugar and milk. Divide the mixture into thirds; leave 1/3 white, and color 1/3 green and the final third red. Decorate piping eyes, mouths, buttons, and bow ties.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Gingerbread Boys and Girls
Desiree Savoy, IL 01-01-2009
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Good
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

These cookies had a good taste to them, but I would agree that some flour could be left out to make them a bit more moist.... Overall though, I will make them again with that modification. Read more
recipe Gingerbread Boys and Girls
Denise Fond du Lac, WI 12-24-2008
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BEST GINGER BREAD COOKIES EVER
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I absolutely love this cookie recipe!! I have passed this recipe to to many friends!! It is the best ginger bread cookie I... have ever had!! Not a real strong molasses favor which is great for those who do not like a strong molasses flavor! Soft and tasty "Hats Off" to Paula Dean for this outstanding recipe!! Read more
recipe Gingerbread Boys and Girls
athalie North Salt Lake, UT 12-11-2008
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Gingerbread Boys and Girls
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

I enjoy Paula's recipes and usually check your site before baking. ( wish I had this time!) A group of us bake together... and share goodie plates for Christmas each year. We used Paula's recipe from 'Good Housekeeping's Holiday Issue. - We thought there was a lot of flour for the amount of butter and we were right. We have just decorated 50 and then tasted them - cardboard. They will all be thrown out. Waste of an afternoon and ingredients. At least a cup of flour should be eliminated, and recipe certainly needs more spices, especially ginger. Read more
recipe Gingerbread Boys and Girls
Kelli Robertsville, OH 12-09-2008
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Excellent!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is the first time I ever tried to make gingerbread cookies! After reading the reviews, I left out a cup of flour and... LOVED these cookies!!! I will definately make these again!!!!! Thanks so much for sharing your recipes Paula!!!!!Read more
recipe Gingerbread Boys and Girls
Patrice Sandston, VA 12-07-2008
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PERFECT COOKIES!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

They came out perfectly. I was very pleased and my family loved them and I don't even really like ginger cookies. I was a... little scared at first when I saw the dough but in the end it all worked out exactly the way it should have just have faith and go with it. THANK YOU PAULA!!Read more
recipe Gingerbread Boys and Girls
Pat basking ridge, NJ 12-02-2008
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What Happened?
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

I love Paula and every recipe of hers that I've tried has been true to what I expected. This one, however, is the... exception. These cookies were dry and flavorless and I threw them out after the second pan. Even good frosting (I have my own recipe) couldn't salvage them. Did something get dropped from the ingredients or instructions?Read more