Our holiday parties have always been well-attended. And while I know our friends want to see us and celebrate together, I know the real reason they show up. These cookies. My mom created this magical confection years ago. The original gingersnap recipe, from a behemoth 70’s cookbook, is so caked with gingersnap splatter that she usually calls me for the ratios. She was the one who thought about sandwiching them with a tangy cream cheese filling– and that was a revelation! The gingersnaps are baked to a light crispness, but soften as they absorb the frosting. The end result is a delightfully chewy cookie bursting with holiday spice. We always make these on the smaller size because you are getting a two-fer with the sandwich. And while the cookies are good without the frosting, it is just not the same, and it’s the holidays so cream cheese is pretty much required.
While we can’t all party together around the Christmas tree, I wanted to share this recipe as my gift to you. Feel free to text my cookie helpline if you need any guidance!
Happy Holidays!
Emily
Cookie Dough Ingredients
- ¾ c. butter (softened)
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ¾ c. molasses
- 2 ¼ c. flour
- 2 t. baking soda
- ½ t. salt
- 1 ½ t. ground ginger
- 1 t. cinnamon
- ½ t. cloves
- 3 T. granulated sugar- for rolling
Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients
- 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
- 1/3 c. powdered sugar
- 1 t. vanilla extract
Yield: 72 cookies/ 36 sandwiches
Time: 30 minutes for prep, 2 hrs-overnight chilling
Directions
Cream together butter, brown sugar, egg, and molasses until light and fluffy. Sift together the remaining ingredients and slowly add to the creamed mixture, mix until combined. Transfer dough to parchment paper or plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least two hours, but ideally overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll 1-inch balls of dough (slightly smaller than a golf ball- they will spread thin as they bake!), roll in white sugar, place on cookie sheet and stamp with the back of the fork. Bake for 8 minutes. Since the dough is dark, you may not be able to tell from looking, but 8 minutes is usually the sweet spot in my oven. You can do a small batch at first to dial in the time for your oven!
Make the cream cheese filling by creaming together all of the ingredients until light and fluffy! Make your life easier and be sure that cream cheese is softened before starting.
Once the cookies are cooled, assemble the sandwiches by putting a blob of filling on the backside of a cookie (aim for about a 3/4 teaspoon per cookie, if you like your frosting thicc you may want to double the filling recipe!) and find the best size match to accompany it. You don’t need to fuss with trying to spread the filling out evenly, when you add the second cookie, it will spread to the edges.