Description
These Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies are a delightful holiday treat featuring spiced gingerbread cookies sandwiched with a smooth and creamy vanilla frosting. Perfectly balanced with warm spices, molasses rich flavor, and a sweet buttery frosting, these cookies are fun to make and delicious to share during festive occasions or any cozy day.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream (or milk)
Instructions
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set this mixture aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to beat the softened unsalted butter and brown sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then add in the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet mixture, mixing just until combined. The resulting dough will be soft and sticky. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to firm up.
- Roll and Cut the Dough: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to about ¼ inch thickness. Use gingerbread-shaped or round cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the dough and place them evenly spaced on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers remain slightly soft. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the Frosting: In a small bowl, beat together powdered sugar, softened butter, vanilla extract, and heavy cream until the frosting is smooth, creamy, and fluffy.
- Assemble the Sandwich Cookies: Using a spatula or piping bag, spread the frosting onto the flat side of one cookie, then gently press another cookie on top to create a sandwich. Repeat this process with remaining cookies until all are filled.
Notes
- Chill the dough for at least 1 hour to make rolling and cutting easier.
- Roll dough to a consistent thickness; thicker cookies will be softer, thinner ones crispier.
- Use a piping bag or zip-top bag with a corner snipped for neater frosting application.
- Add a pinch of salt to the frosting for a sweet-and-salty flavor balance, if desired.
- Let cookies cool completely before frosting to prevent melting.
- Molasses can be substituted with honey or maple syrup, though flavor will be lighter.
- Adjust spices according to personal preference (more cinnamon or omit cloves).
- Cookies can be made ahead: dough refrigerated up to 3 days; baked unfrosted cookies freeze well up to 2 months.
- Store finished sandwich cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freeze sandwich cookies individually wrapped for up to 1 month; thaw before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Gingerbread Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Sandwich Cookies, Spiced Cookies, Festive Recipe, Christmas Cookies, Homemade Cookies, Frosted Cookies
