Circle Gingerbread Man Sugar Cookies

No cookie cutter? No problem! Make these cute & easy gingerbread man sugar cookies just using a circle! Includes step-by-step photos, a free printable instruction guide, and my favorite cut out sugar cookie recipe!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Keyword cut out sugar cookies, decorated christmas cookies

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings cookies

Calories 234kcal

Author Melissa Rose

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Dough

¾ cup unsalted butter softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract (nut allergy? you can substitute this with extra vanilla!)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered sugar
Gel food coloring

Tools/Toppings:

M&M's candy
Circle cookie cutter 2.5-3" in diameter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, cream together unsalted butter (¾ cup, i.e. 1 ½ sticks) and granulated sugar (¾ cup) on medium speed for 20-30 seconds. Mix in egg (1 large), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons) and almond extract (1 teaspoon). Add in baking powder (1 teaspoon), salt (½ teaspoon), and all-purpose flour (2 cups) and mix until combined. Transfer to a flour-covered surface and use a rolling pin to roll dough ⅜" to ½" thick. Use a 2.5-3" circle cookie cutter or glass cup to cut out dough.
Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Depending on size of your cookie cutter and thickness of dough, you may need to bake for a few extra minutes. Allow to cool before decorating.
To make frosting: In a large mixing bowl, add softened unsalted butter (1 cup, i.e. 2 sticks), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), almond extract (1 ½ teaspoons), and salt (¼ teaspoon). Cream together on medium speed for 30 seconds, or until blended together. Mix in powdered sugar ½ cup at a time (3 cups total) until all is incorporated. Turn mixer to high speed, and beat for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
To decorate: Reference the photos in the post above or print off my printable instruction PDF to decorate the gingerbread man faces.
1. Spread frosting onto cookie (see blog post above for tips to color frosting brown).
2. While the frosting is still “wet”, press on (2) ½ brown M&M’s for the eyes, 2 red M&M’s for the rosy cheeks, and (optional) a ½ brown M&M for the mouth.
3. Finish it off by piping a squiggly white line on the top of the head & a bow on the bottom to make a little gingerbread boy necktie. To make a gingerbread girl cookie, you can pipe the bow on the top of the head instead!
Store in airtight container for 2-3 days or freeze for later.

Notes

Substitutions for M&M's: You can also use chocolate chips or eyeball sprinkles to create the eyes! If you don’t have either of those, you can also dye a little bit of frosting brown or black pipe on the details (although this is definitely messier & more effort!).

Storing: store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Freezing: you can freeze these gingerbread man cookies cookies for up to 1 month in an airtight container. I suggest freezing them in one layer before stacking. After they’re frozen, you can place parchment paper in between each later to prevent them from sticking together.

Make Ahead: freeze the unfrosted cookies and then let them thaw to room temperature before decorating. This is a great option if you want to make them ahead for a cookie decorating party!

Nutrition