The countdown to the holidays is on, and I've got just the recipe to help you wow the peeps at your cookie swap! Take a look at these beautiful gingerbread sandwich cookies.
If you've never done a cookie swap, it's a super fun way to get into the holiday spirit with your pals! If gingerbread isn't your jam, I dunno why you clicked on this recipe, but here are some other holiday cookie ideas you could make instead
chocolate candy cane sandwich cookies
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Now, these soft gingerbread sandwich cookies are a unique take on traditional cut-out cookies—which I also have a good recipe for! What makes them so special is that luscious layer of vanilla bean buttercream in the center that's melt-in-your-mouth delicious. And technically, two cookies count as one, in this instance, so you get double the sweetness with half the guilt. Right? Let's just go with that.
what you need
- all-purpose flour
- ground ginger
- ground cinnamon
- ground cloves
- baking soda
- sea salt
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- confectioners sugar
- coconut oil or vegan butter
- unsweetened nondairy milk
- unsulphured molasses
- vanilla extract
- vanilla bean
how to make gingerbread sandwich cookies
Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a mixing bowl.
Whisk the coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, nondairy milk, and molasses together in another mixing bowl.
Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
The gingerbread cookie dough will look smooth like this.
Roll cookie dough into balls with your hands and coat in granulated sugar.
Slightly flatten the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Once baked place the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Scrape the inside of a fresh vanilla bean for the buttercream and add to a mixing bowl with the other ingredients.
The finished buttercream should be stiff but spreadable and it shouldn't drip or ooze.
Using a small offset spatula spread a spoonful of buttercream on the inside of a cookie and sandwich with another one.
The final bite of these gingerbread sandwich cookies is absolute perfection. The ratio of buttercream to cookie is satisfying and not overly sweet. The spices from the gingerbread cookies really come through and the extra vanilla bean essence takes it over the top. These are not hard to bite into at all. The cookies end up soft and moist— perfect for a delicate sandwich cookie!
substitutions
- all-purpose flour - I haven't tested these with a gluten-free all-purpose, but I know some of the hot for foodies have. Substituting the exact same amount of flour should work, but your bake time may vary so keep an eye on them in the oven.
- coconut oil - always use deodorized or refined coconut oil in baking, so that you don't get a coconut taste in your final product. But you can easily swap coconut oil for vegan butter in both the cookie and buttercream recipes.
equipment
I always recommend having a variety of handy kitchen tools and equipment because it makes your life so much easier when cooking, but especially when baking! Without the right tools, it's nearly impossible to achieve good results with baking. I've linked the products to my Amazon affiliate shop below to help you out if you still don't have all the things.
- stand mixer or hand mixer - I prefer to use a stand mixer, but at the time I developed this recipe I didn't own one. It's perfectly fine to use a hand mixer if that's all you have. This is the red model I'm using in the video.
- oven thermometer - this is my number one recommendation for anyone making anyone's recipes! Most likely your oven isn't heating at the temperature it reads on the screen or dial. The only way to know that you're baking at 350°F exactly and consistently is to get one of these and hang it in the oven! My oven is 15° to 20° off every time!
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups and spoons
- small offset spatula
- whisk
- baking sheets
- parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- wire baking racks
storage
Like nearly all holiday cookies you can freeze these gingerbread sandwich cookies for up to 3 months in an airtight container or zipper bag, between layers of parchment paper. They're fine left in a container at room temperature as well if you consume them within a couple of weeks, otherwise freeze them. When you want to eat them, allow them to thaw completely on the counter.
gingerbread sandwich cookies
Ingredients
cookie batter
- 3 C all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 C packed brown sugar
- ¼ C coconut oil, melted
- ½ C nondairy milk
- ¼ C unsulphured molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ C granulated sugar, for rolling cookies
vanilla buttercream
- 3 C powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoon coconut oil, softened but solid at room temperature
- 2 tablespoon nondairy milk
- 1 vanilla bean
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, spices, sea salt and set aside.
- In another large mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, coconut oil, nondairy milk, molasses, and vanilla until well combined. There should be no oil visibly separated.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold until it comes together into a soft but stiff dough. You should be able to handle it with your hands and not have any sticking.
- If it feels a little too soft, place the bowl and dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. Do not add more flour!
- Take a small amount of dough and roll it into a small ball in your hands approximately 1" to 1 ¼" wide. Roll it in granulated sugar and then place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and slightly flatten it with your hands.
- Bake one baking sheet at a time on the middle rack for 12 minutes. This will ensure all the cookies are baked evenly.
- Remove the cookies from the baking sheet onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before frosting and assembling the sandwiches.
- To make the vanilla buttercream, beat together with a hand mixture 1 cup of powdered sugar with the coconut oil and nondairy milk. Once combined, add in another cup of powdered sugar.
- Slice through one layer of the vanilla bean skin. Using the end of a spoon, scrape all the inside out and add to the icing bowl with the last cup of powdered sugar. Beat until combined.
- If the mixture seems crumbly at this point, add a very small amount of nondairy milk and beat with the mixer again until it smooths out. Just add a couple drops of liquid at a time until the right consistency is achieved. It should be a stiff but spreadable buttercream and it should not drip or ooze.
- Take a spoonful of buttercream and spread it on the bottom of one cookie. Press another cookie on top until the buttercream just peeks out the sides slightly. Store the cookies in an air tight container at room temperature. You might need to refrigerate the cookies if you live in a very warm climate where the coconut oil buttercream could melt too much. These can also be frozen between layers of parchment paper in a container for longer storage over the holidays. Thaw before serving!
Anne
Hey Lauren, Do you think this batter work in a gingerbread mold like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XN0KSDI/ref=ox_sc_act_image_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1919NYIH5072G
Thanks for everything!
Anne
Lauren Toyota
I would use our other gingerbread cut out cookie recipe. Just silghtly different ratios / ingredients... better for this type of thing!
Sarah | Well and Full
That vanilla bean butter cream looks to die for!!!! 😀
Emi
That looks so good! Do you think I can use a GF flour mix instead? Xx
Matilde
Hello 🙂 Can I use this dough to make roll out gingerbread man? Or is it too soft? I will try these out either way 😉 Thanks xx
Jess
These worked so super well, made them for my flatmates then we watched Elf and devoured the lot hehe I had to use honey instead of molasses but still worked a treat:P 10/10 would recommend
N. Raya
I made this and the cookies where amazing, however, the frosting was way too sweet for me and the kids, which is a shocker. We enjoyed one with frosting and the rest without. Thanks for what you do!
Julia
I just finished making them, I could've done with a little less frosting though 😛 but generally I love them. Perfect gift as well.
juliana
If anyone is interested in low-fat baking: I used 2 Tbsp oil and 2 Tbsp applesauce and I got pretty darn tasty cookies.... the molasses and spices are perfect in this recipe. I also made them the other night using all applesauce and they were quite good for no added fat, but even better: no cookie hangover! The frosting is a bit overwhelming for me, but I think the frosting tastes pretty close to the filling of an Oreo cookie... if you've ever had one of those. Thank you for the great recipe! I'll be making these again
Meredith
I messed up the icing so ate them without and they were still really good on their own
friends + family all loved them
thanks!
Kate
These were delicious. For some reason my mixture was really dry so i had to add some more oil and milk but it ended up turning out great. I also didn't bother with the filling as i had some icing left over from a cake I made so just filled some with that and ate the rest by themselves. Will definitely be making again.
Katrina Hustwitt
Unfortunately these turned out really dry for me. I even took the suggestion from the comment below to add a little extra almond milk and oil, but it didn't work.
Sad face