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Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies Recipe

4.6 from 98 reviews

These Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies are a festive and delicious treat perfect for the holiday season. Soft and flavorful gingerbread cookies are sandwiched together with a smooth, creamy vanilla frosting, creating a delightful balance of spicy and sweet. Easy to make with simple ingredients and requiring just basic baking tools, these cookies are sure to become a seasonal favorite for family and friends.

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

  1. Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
  2. Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the softened butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then add the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth and fully incorporated.
  3. Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually 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 it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to firm up.
  4. 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 and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced evenly.
  5. Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are set and just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  6. Make the Frosting: In a small bowl, beat together the powdered sugar, softened butter, vanilla extract, and heavy cream (or milk) until the frosting is smooth, fluffy, and spreadable.
  7. Assemble the Sandwich Cookies: Once the cookies have fully cooled, spread or pipe a generous layer of frosting onto the flat side of one cookie, then gently sandwich it with another cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies to create sandwiches.

Notes

  • Chilling the dough before rolling helps make it easier to handle and results in cleaner cookie shapes.
  • Rolling the dough evenly will help cookies bake uniformly; thicker cookies are softer, thinner cookies are crispier.
  • Use a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped for neatly applying the frosting.
  • Adding a pinch of salt to the frosting can enhance flavor by balancing sweetness.
  • Ensure cookies are completely cool before frosting to prevent the filling from melting and becoming runny.
  • Dough can be made and chilled up to 3 days in advance.
  • Baked cookies can be frozen without frosting for up to 2 months.
  • Assembled sandwich cookies can be frozen individually wrapped for up to 1 month.
  • Substitute molasses with honey or maple syrup for a lighter flavor variation.
  • Add cinnamon or orange zest to the frosting for a flavor twist.

Keywords: gingerbread cookies, gingerbread sandwich cookies, holiday cookies, Christmas cookies, ginger spice cookies, festive cookies, frosted sandwich cookies