Puff Pastry Gingerbread Man Recipe (2024)

This Nutella puff pastry gingerbread man recipe makes the most delicious and easy Christmas sweet treat you can make. Unleash your creativity in the kitchen with this unconventional take on the classic gingerbread man. Turn your favorite gingerbread man into a show-stopping dessert with Nutella and puff pastry.

Calling all Nutella lovers! Get ready to experience pure bliss with this heavenly combination of Nutella and puff pastry in the form of a delightful gingerbread man. Your taste buds will thank you.

Why you’ll love this Puff Pastry Gingerbread Man recipe

The Nutella puff pastry gingerbread man mixes together all my favourite festive ingredients. The thick and chocolatey nutella and flaky golden pastry.

Gingerbread men are a staple in my house at this time of year. So swapping the spiced biscuit for a light pastry is perfect for those who want to see a gingerbread man but want to try something different.

Nutella pastry gingerbread man are perfect for making with the little ones! You can even add some decorations to them if you want. Just grab some coloured icing and get to work, give your puff pastry gingerbread man a face, a dress or even add a beard and red hat!

Puff Pastry Gingerbread Man Ingredients

For the full recipe and instructions scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe card.

Puff Pastry

If you’re a bake-off expert you can make you’re own puff pastry but I like to cheat and use pre-made, ready-to-roll. It’s cheap from any supermarket and really speeds up your prep time in this Puff pastry nutella gingerbread man recipe.

Nutella

Chocolate spread is perfect for Christmas bakes, the rich hazelnutty flavour is a perfect complement to thick chocolate. When sandwiched between pastry you’re onto a winner. Think Puff Pastry Christmas Trees or Puff Pastry Nutella Snowflakes.

Egg

A simple egg wash helps your pastry to turn that gorgeous golden brown colour in the oven. You need to mix your egg together and brush each puff pastry gingerbread man. If you don’t want to use an egg, a bit of milk will work too.

Icing sugar / confectioners sugar

For a simple, fuss-free decoration sprinkle some icing sugar over your cooled Nutella pastry gingerbread men. They’ll look beautiful and like they’re covered in a fresh flurry of falling snow.

How to Make Puff Pastry Gingerbread Man – Step by Step

Keep scrolling to find the full printable instructions and ingredient quantities.

Spread the Nutella over half of the puff pastry.

Fold the puff pastry in half like a book.

Use a gingerbread man cutter to cut out as many gingerbread men as you can.

Lay the pieces on the baking tray, leaving a space between them.

Gently whisk the egg with a fork and using a pastry brush, brush the egg over the pastry.

Bake for 10-13 minutes until golden brown.

See Also

Hearty, veg-based mains: Yotam Ottolenghi’s winter vegetable recipesNumber plates: Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes show that sometimes less is moreMary Berry’s Chocolate Roulade Recipe (Great British Bake Off)Gingerbread Kransecake Recipe on Food52

Puff Pastry Gingerbread Man Top Tips

Take the puff pastry out of the fridge 20 minutes or so before you need it as it’s easier to unroll (or roll out if you have a block).

Enjoy straight away with a cup of coffee. The warm pastry is heavenly and the Nutella melts a little too. Just be careful of it being too hot.

Mix your icing sugar with cinnamon to add some spiced warmth to the top of your bakes. I love doing this and using the cinnamon to carve out features on their little faces.

Puff Pastry Gingerbread Man Recipe – Serving Suggestions

Afternoon tea

Take your tea and scones on a festive adventure and serve your Nutella pastry gingerbread men with a pot of tea while you watch the snow fall (I can dream of a white Christmas okay) or swap the tea for mulled wine and call it a Christmas bottomless brunch!

With ice cream

There are few things in this world that are as good as a warm pastry with cold ice cream. Create an icy scene for your gingerbread man climbing over mountains of vanilla ice cream.

Hot from the oven

If, like me, you can’t wait to serve your puff pastry nutella gingerbread men on a nice plate with toppies. Munch down on one while they are warm from the oven. It’s a treat for making something so delicious.

How did you serve your gingerbread men? I’d love to try your ideas so leave a comment below and I’ll try it!

Equipment

This list contains affiliate links

• Butter knife
• Knife
• 2 x Baking Tray
• Greaseproof paper / Baking parchment

Substitutions and variations

Add dried fruit

Follow the puff pastry nutella gingerbread man recipe as normal but when you pop your layer of Nutella in, add some dried fruits. Personally, candied orange peel always works well here but you can go for dried cranberries too!

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

Mix equal parts cinnamon with your icing sugar and sprinkle across the top of your gingerbread men. Caster sugar also works really well.

Chopped nuts

Similar to the dried fruits, chopped nuts can add a wonderful crunch to your bake. Either add chopped nuts to your Nutella layer before baking or pick out a chunky chocolate spread with chopped hazelnuts.

Storing Puff Pastry Gingerbread Man / Making ahead of time options

You can assemble the puff pastry and Nutella, cut out the shapes and store them in the fridge until you need to cook them. I would recommend cooking them within 2 days from assembling.

Once baked, your gingerbread men will not last very long because they will get eaten. If by some Christmas miracle, you do have leftovers, pop them in a Tupperware in the fridge for no more than 5 days as they start to go stale.

FAQS

• Why do you glaze puff pastry with an egg?
• Can you make puff pastry gingerbread men in advance?
• What else can I add to Nutella and puff pastry?
• How to make puff pastry puff up?
• Why did my puff pastry gingerbread men not rise?
• At what temperature do you cook puff pastry?

Why do you glaze puff pastry with an egg?

You glaze puff pastry with an egg because the protein helps your pastry to achieve that gorgeous golden brown colour. It also enhances the flakiness of your puff pastry.

Can you make puff pastry gingerbread men in advance?

Yes, you can make puff pastry gingerbread men up to 2 days before you need to bake them if you keep them in the fridge but it you want to freeze them then I suggest making and baking your pastry treats and popping them in the freezer for up to 1 month. Allow them to fully defrost and heat in the microwave for 30 second bursts.

What else can I add to Nutella and puff pastry?

You can add lots of things to Nutella and puff pastry. Try festive spices, chopped fruits and nuts, peanut butter and more. Your mind is your only limit so have fun!

How to make puff pastry puff up?

You make puff pastry puff up by following a good puff pastry recipe and by placing your bake into a piping hot oven. Puff pastry is made of layers of butter that when heated cause the pastry to puff up. So getting your laminations just right is crucial to a puffy puff pastry.

Why did my puff pastry gingerbread men not rise?

Sometimes puff pastry gingerbread men don’t rise because your oven was not at the right temperature, so the butter melted and didn’t puff up. Keep an eye on your oven temperature and try shop-bought puff pastry if it proves difficult

At what temperature do you cook puff pastry?

You cook puff pastry at 200 degrees Celsius. This is hot enough for your flaky puff pastry to puff up and cook but not so hot that it burns. Keep an eye on your pastry and take it out of the oven when it starts to go a lovely golden brown.

Other Recipes you might like

Pin this Puff Pastry Gingerbread Man recipe to enjoy later

Pin me for later or follow me @sewwhiteblog on Pinterest for my latest recipes and to discover my others.

Recipe