Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies Recipe
These gingerbread sandwich cookies are perfect for the holiday season, featuring soft and spicy gingerbread cookies filled with a creamy vanilla frosting. Easy to make and fun to assemble, they offer a delightful mix of warm spices and sweet creaminess that everyone will love.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: About 24 sandwich cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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 flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to beat the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined. The dough will be soft and sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Roll and Cut the Dough: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about ¼ inch thick. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies for 8–10 minutes, or until the edges are set. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the Frosting: Beat the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and heavy cream together until smooth and fluffy.
- Assemble the Sandwich Cookies: Spread or pipe the frosting onto the flat side of one cookie, then gently press another cookie on top to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies.
Notes
- Chill the dough to make rolling and cutting easier.
- Roll dough evenly: thicker cookies bake softer, thinner cookies become crispier.
- Use a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped for neat frosting application.
- Add a pinch of salt to the frosting for a sweet-and-salty flavor 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 taste; omit cloves or increase cinnamon for variation.
- For frosting variations, add cinnamon or orange zest for a twist.
- If you don’t have cookie cutters, use a cup to cut round cookies.
- Dough can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.
- Baked cookies (without frosting) freeze well up to 2 months; thaw before filling.
- Store finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or refrigerated up to 1 week.
- Freeze assembled cookies individually wrapped for up to 1 month; thaw before serving.
Keywords: Gingerbread cookies, holiday cookies, sandwich cookies, festive desserts, Christmas cookies, spiced cookies, homemade frosting, gingerbread recipe
