These gingerbread sandwich cookies are irresistibly delicious! Perfectly crisp on the edges with a soft, melt in your mouth center, the aromatic flavors of the ginger molasses cookies are beautifully balanced by the sweet and tangy cream cheese filling. If you are looking for a seriously delicious cookie to indulge in this holiday season, then this recipe is for you!
Why You Will Love This Recipe?
- Soft, melt in your mouth ginger molasses cookies packed with the aromatic flavors of holiday spices like ginger, cinnamon and cloves
- Incredibly smooth cream cheese filling that is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy
- Easy, approachable recipe that literally takes minutes to make
How to Make the Best Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies
Gingerbread is such a classic holiday flavor that my family and I look forward to every year! So it was no surprise that these gingerbread cookies were on my list of things to bake this holiday season. Consisting of the most flavorful ginger molasses cookies sandwiched together with a sweet and tangy cream cheese filling, these cookies are packed with a whole lot of deliciousness!! To make recipe, you will need:
Key Ingredients
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Ground Spices – ginger, cinnamon, cloves
- Salt
- Egg
- Unsulphured Molasses
- Granulated Sugar
- Light or Dark Brown Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- Vanilla Extract
The base of this recipe is the ginger molasses cookies which are a breeze to make since it requires no chilling – YAY! To make cookies, cream the butter and sugars together until smooth and fluffy. Next, beat in the molasses followed by the vanilla extract and the egg. Lastly, mix all of the dry ingredients into the wet batter until a soft cookie dough forms. Scoop out cookie dough and roll in granulated sugar before baking for 9-10 minutes. Cool cookies completely before sandwiching them together with filling.
How to Make Cream Cheese Filling for Sandwich Cookies
The filling for these sandwich cookies is cream cheese-based and is absolutely delicious! It pairs so nicely with the spices of the gingerbread cookies making for a beautifully balanced cookie. Requiring only 4 ingredients, this filling recipe is so easy to make! Here is what you will need to make recipe:
Key Ingredients
- Confectioners’ (Powdered) Sugar
- Full-Fat Cream Cheese
- Unsalted Butter
- Vanilla Extract
Tips for Making the Best Cream Cheese Filling
- Use Full-Fat Cream Cheese – for the best tasting filling that is not lacking in flavor, full-fat cream cheese is the way to go! I also find that full-fat cream cheese mixes/blends better with the butter in this recipe than the reduced-fat option.
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients – room temperature ingredients mix together more smoothly without resulting in lumps or unmixed ingredients in the filling. Additionally, using room temperature ingredients decreases the chance of overmixing the filling.
- Do Not Overmix – cream cheese based fillings tends to have a softer consistency compared to all-butter based filling. To avoid ending up with an overly soft filling, it is best to mix the ingredients together just to combine.
- Chill the Filling – if you find that the consistency of the filling is too soft and is not holding its shape, refrigerate the filling for 1-2 hours and lightly re-whip before using. Refrigerating the soft filling will help to thicken it up without requiring the addition of more sugar.
How to Store
Gingerbread cookies are best eaten the day it is baked. Leftover cookies stored in an airtight container will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator and 1-2 months in the freezer. When ready to serve frozen cookies, thaw overnight in the fridge to restore soft texture. Since cookies have a dairy-based filling, they should not be stored at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can gingerbread cookies be made in advance?
Yes! Scoops of gingerbread cookie dough that have coated in sugar should be placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet and frozen until solid. Once thoroughly frozen, transfer the cookie doughs into an airtight container and keep frozen for up to 1-3 months. When ready to bake, scoops of cookie dough may be baked straight from the freezer. Simply increase the bake time by 2-3 minutes.
Cream cheese filling stored in an airtight container will last up to 1 week in the refrigerator. When ready to use, thaw at room temperature for 25-30 minutes or until the filling is soft enough to fill cookies with.
What is the best type of molasses to use in recipe?
It is best to use unsulfured molasses as it has not been treated with any additives and will not affect the taste of the cookies. I recommend this brand of molasses.
Can this recipe be made gluten-free?
I have not tested the recipe with gluten-free flour; however, if needed, the gluten flour in this recipe may be replaced with your preferred 1 to 1 all-purpose gluten-free flour blend. Just make sure that the blend you use contains xanthan gum.
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I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make these gingerbread sandwich cookies, please make sure to let me know by tagging me @nourishedendeavors on Instagram. I love looking at the photos of recipes you all have made, or you can leave a comment and rate the recipe in the comment section down below. Happy baking, friends!
PrintGingerbread Sandwich Cookies
These gingerbread sandwich cookies are irresistibly delicious! Perfectly crisp on the edges with a soft, melt in your mouth center, the aromatic flavors of the ginger molasses cookies are beautifully balanced with the sweet and tangy cream cheese filling.
- Prep Time: 45 Minutes
- Cook Time: 9 Minutes
- Total Time: 54 minutes
- Yield: 7 Large or 12 Small Sandwich Cookies 1x
Ingredients
Ginger Molasses Cookies
- 2 Cups + 2 Tablespoons (276g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, Spooned and Leveled
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Large Egg, Room Temperature
- 1/3 Cup (76g) Light or Dark Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1/2 Cup (100g) Granulated Sugar, Divided
- 1/4 Cup (60ml) Unsulphured Molasses
- 3/4 Cup (170g) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 Ounces (113g) Full-Fat Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
- 1/4 Cup (57g) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1 1/2 Cups (180g) Confectioners’ (Powdered) Sugar, Sifted
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, add half of the granulated sugar (1/4 cup). Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Using a stand or hand mixer set at medium-high speed, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and the remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar until the mixture appears thick and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Mix in the molasses and vanilla extract into the creamed butter mixture followed by the egg. Stop the mixer and use a silicone spatula to scrape the sides and base of the mixing bowl.
- With the mixer set at low speed, mix all of the dry ingredients into the wet batter until a soft cookie dough forms. Take care to not overmix the dough.
- Use a 2 (small cookies) or 3 tablespoons (large cookies) scoop to portion the cookie dough into a ball. Roll the ball of dough in the reserved granulated sugar before transferring to the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat this process with the remaining dough and sugar placing each coated cookie dough ball at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 8 (small cookies) to 9 (large cookies) minutes, rotating the pans halfway through bake time. Take care to not overbake the cookies.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 4-5 minutes before transferring them to the cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
Cream Cheese Filling
- Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter together at medium-high speed until mixture is smooth and lump-free, about 1-2 minutes.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the confectioner’s sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar has been mixed into frosting, stop the mixer. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and base of the mixing bowl.
- Add the vanilla extract into the filling and continue to mix for 30-60 seconds at medium speed until the filling appears smooth.
- If the frosting appears too soft to pipe, refrigerate it for 60-90 minutes. This will allow the filling to reach a firmer consistency for piping without the need of mixing in more sugar. If in a pinch, mix in additional sugar 1/4 cup at a time until you have a soft but pipable filling consistency that can hold its shape.
Assembly
- Pipe or spoon the cream cheese filling into the center of one of the cookies before topping with another cookie sandwiching it together. Repeat with remaining cookies for a total of 7 large or 12 small cookie sandwiches.
Notes
Gingerbread sandwich cookies are best eaten the day it is baked. Leftover cookies stored in an airtight container will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator and 1-2 months in the freezer. When ready to serve frozen cookies, thaw overnight in the fridge to restore soft texture. Since cookies have a dairy based filling, it should not be stored at room temperature.
Ilaria
Loved these cookies! A surprise in taste and consistency! Recipe is very accurate and worked perfectly! Only difference, i used mascarpone insted of cream cheese because my husband doesn’t like it! Thank you Winnie! I’ll bake some mpre today 😉
nourished endeavors
So happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for your amazing feedback and happy holidays!!