Cream Cheese Frosted Gingerbread Men

Total Time

Prep: 20 min. + chilling Bake: 15 min./batch + cooling

Makes

about 3 dozen

Updated: Jun. 27, 2023
Every Christmas, my family would visit a display of the most amazing gingerbread houses. Of course, we’d get to munch on gingerbread cookies along the way! I created my recipe with fresh grated ginger and cream cheese icing—it's the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. —Rebekah Jackson, San Jose, California
Cream Cheese Frosted Gingerbread Men Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • Confectioners' sugar
  • FROSTING:
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

  1. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses, egg and ginger. In another bowl, whisk next six ingredients; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°. On a surface dusted with confectioners' sugar, roll each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-1/2-in. gingerbread man cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until edges are firm, 15-18 minutes. Cool completely on pans on wire racks.
  3. For frosting, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Beat in confectioners' sugar. Spread or pipe frosting over cookies.

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 127 calories, 6g fat (4g saturated fat), 22mg cholesterol, 80mg sodium, 16g carbohydrate (11g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.