Air Fryer Gingerbread Man Cookies

Air Fryer Gingerbread Man Cookies. How to make the best gingerbread cookies at home in the air fryer, made even easier with a gingerbread box mix.

You will love how easy it is to make gingerbread in the air fryer. You can then decorate them and have them as your holiday treat.

Gingerbread Box Mix

Back in October, we took the kids pumpkin picking for the very first time. It was never a thing in Portugal, and we were excited to pick our own for the very first time.

We ended up filling the car with pumpkins of different sizes as well as a few other winter squashes that have been hard for us to obtain.

The hubby asked me why I wasn’t going pumpkin picking to somewhere close to home.

I responded that, this pumpkin picking venue had a fantastic farm shop and I couldn’t wait to grab all the goodies on offer.

I bought some really big rutabagas (swede to us Brits), rainbow carrots, organic potatoes and some box mixes.

I love the box mixes from the farms as unlike a cheap box of Betty Crocker, you are getting the best ingredients, often better than what you have at home.

One of the box mixes that I bought was for gingerbread man cookies. I was eager to take it home and make gingerbread in the air fryer from a box mix.

Plus, as well as our free newsletter, we also have a free air fryer mini course. It is ideal for air fryer beginners or those that want to get more confident with their air fryer. The free course runs for 5 days with a new lesson delivered each day to your inbox.

Can You Cook Gingerbread In Air Fryer?

Yes, you sure can. Gingerbread or gingerbread cookies are amazing in the air fryer and are perfect for quickly making your gingerbread men during the festive season.

We first made air fryer gingerbread back in 2019 as an early Christmas treat and were amazed at how well they turned out.

Now each year we always do air fryer gingerbread and watch the kids as they decorate their own gingerbread man.

Gingerbread In Air Fryer

Though, you are probably wondering how gingerbread in the air fryer compares to gingerbread in the oven.

Firstly, I never burn gingerbread in the air fryer like I would in the oven. That is because I have the exact cook time and the air fryer beeps when it is done, and I don’t forget about them.

Secondly, the air circulates around the air fryer basket given an even crunch on your gingerbread without it feeling soggy in the middle.

Third and finally, the air fryer is the easiest clean up operation ever. Normally when making cookies in the air fryer I would add foil, but gingerbread men don’t make any mess at all.

Gingerbread Man Biscuits

This is what I love about Recipe This. Meeting people from many different countries and getting to know the different food cultures.

I especially love how the food names are so different between the US and the UK.

Whilst growing up in England I would always refer to them as gingerbread man biscuits, I know in the US it would be gingerbread cookies.

So, if you are a Brit reading this, then note gingerbread cookies in the air fryer, is the same as gingerbread man biscuits in the air fryer. And our box mix packaging refers to them as a gingerbread biscuit mix.

Why Gingerbread Mix?

I have always been obsessed with making everything myself and baking from scratch. I find it relaxing and it’s a natural way for me to release stress.

My paternal grandma was an amazing baker and taught me so much.

I am also a HUGE fan of the Mrs Beeton cookbook as well as the Bero flour mini baking books.

But whilst I would normally always make my air fryer gingerbread cookies from scratch, many of my readers have asked about box mixes and I have found myself experimenting with them and seeing what the big deal is.

In this gingerbread man air fryer recipe, I have used a premium box mix and whilst I don’t think its as good as my favourite Bero gingerbread, its not bad either.

You can also save yourself a lot of time with a boxed gingerbread mix and is much better if you are not a confident baker and the number #1 easy way to make gingerbread cookies.

Or best of all, if you don’t have any equipment, it’s a great way to get yourself a gingerbread man cookie cutter, icing and some sprinkles all in the same box.

Gingerbread Mix Ingredients

Mix – You can use any brand of gingerbread man mix. I know some use a box mix that is similar to a box cake mix. Our box mix is similar to shortbread cookies but with a hint of ginger.

Butter – This is one of the two gingerbread mix add ins. You will need to use butter or a dairy free alternative.

Syrup – The second gingerbread mix add ins is some golden syrup, treacle, or a similar ingredient to make the cookies sweet and to make them moist and not overly hard. We were almost out of everything and went with some spare toffee sauce we had in.

Extras – I found the box mix we used was much lower in ginger and that it wasn’t as sweet as we would have made. I would recommend adding in a little extra ginger and maybe some chocolate flakes for flavour.

Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this gingerbread man air fryer recipe it has just been our Cosori Air Fryer XL. We have this one and its wonderful for many types of air fryer cookies.

How To Make Gingerbread Man Cookies?

• Load. Add your gingerbread cookie mix into a bowl and add the butter along with what sauce you are using. Then using the hand mixer, mix until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
• Dough. Use your hands to make the gingerbread mix into a big dough ball and knead a little.
• Roll. You can now flour your clean worktop, flour your rolling pin, and roll out ready for cutting with your gingerbread man.  
• Cook. Load onto a layer of foil in the air fryer basket and air fry for 8 minutes at 180c/360f.
• Beeps. When the air fryer beeps, remove from the air fryer, allow them to cool and then decorate before serving.

Can Gingerbread Dough Be Frozen?

Yes, it can, and we have frozen gingerbread dough many times. You can then make it ahead and then load it into the freezer for when you need it.

Then remember to allow it to fully defrost and go to room temperature before rolling and making into gingerbread cookies.

How To Improve Boxed Gingerbread Mix?

The first time I ever made air fryer box cake, and instant pot box cake, I was very disappointed in the results.

On both occasions I had used Betty Crocker box mixes.

What I soon learnt is that I needed to add in extras to make box mixes taste better and the box cakes on the blog are the improved versions.

That same rule applies to improving box gingerbread mixes.

I recommend that you:

• Don’t make the recommended 30 biscuits as mentioned on the box as you will end up with ridiculously small ones that will burn around the edges. Instead the mix will make 12.

• Increase the butter by 20% as this will give it a better texture and wont taste dry.

• Add an extra ½ teaspoon of ginger

• Add a ½ teaspoon of nutmeg too for that yummy Christmas flavour

Decorating Your Air Fryer Gingerbread

Jorge is one of those kids, that just loves to cook and loves to get involved with whatever we are making. Sofia, however, will show up if she can smell something good and then goes back to watching TV or playing with her toys.

I mentioned decorating some gingerbread men and Jorge was there in a flash.

He followed his dad’s directions to the letter (not bad having a chef daddy!) and then decorated his own gingerbread people.

Then him and his dad decorated the rest of them until they were all done.

Here are a few tips that chef Dom mentions:

• Have your ingredients ready for decorating and decide ahead of time how you plan to decorate.

• Chocolate chips are fantastic over the icing for buttons on the gingerbread people

• Start with the eyes, nose and mouth and then do the buttons. You can then add hair or other things later.

• Make sure your gingerbread is cool otherwise the icing will melt.

More Air Fryer Cookies

• Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Air Fryer White Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Air Fryer Smartie Cookies
• Air Fryer Christmas Cookies
• Air Fryer Oatmeal Cookies

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