Description

Hey friends! Olivia here. Can you smell that? That warm, spicy scent of gingerbread baking in the oven—it’s pure holiday magic. Today, we’re taking the classic gingerbread man and giving it a Nutella twist: soft, spiced cookies with a creamy chocolate-hazelnut surprise.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients:

2½ cups all-purpose flour (or replace ¼ cup with cake flour for a softer cookie)
1½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves (or allspice)
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup molasses (unsulphured preferred)
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

Extras:

Nutella, for filling or dipping
Optional: icing or sprinkles for decorating

Pro Tip: Slightly warm Nutella (5–10 seconds in the microwave) makes spreading or dipping easier.

Instructions

1. Mix Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. Cream Wet Ingredients

In a large bowl, use a mixer or wooden spoon to cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes). Mix in molasses, egg, and vanilla. The mixture may look slightly curdled—don’t worry!

3. Combine Wet & Dry

Gradually add dry ingredients to wet, mixing on low speed until just combined. Stop as soon as the flour disappears. Do not overmix!

4. Chill the Dough

Form dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days). Chilling prevents spreading and improves flavor.

5. Roll & Cut

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment. Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with gingerbread men cookie cutters. Re-roll scraps as needed.

6. Bake

Bake for 8–10 minutes. Edges should be set; centers may look soft. Rotate sheets halfway for even baking. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

7. Add Nutella

Sandwich: Spread Nutella on the back of one cookie and top with another.
Dip: Dip one side or half of each cookie in Nutella for a fun, messy twist.

8. Decorate

Optional: Add icing or sprinkles once cookies are cool. Let icing set before storing or stacking.

Notes

Sticky dough? Chill longer or roll between parchment sheets.
Make ahead: Dough keeps in fridge 2 days or frozen 3 months. Thaw overnight.
Flat cookies: Ensure butter is just softened, dough is well-chilled, and oven temperature is correct.
Molasses tip: Use light or unsulphured molasses; blackstrap is too bitter.