Ginger-Spice Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Cream

Yields about thirty sandwich cookies.

by Tasha DeSerio
from Fine Cooking
Issue 99
Last Edit Date: 2/8/2010 1:30:26 PM

If you make these a day ahead of time, the cookies will soften a bit, and the flavors will mingle nicely. Fresh spices are key.

more about:

For the cookies:

9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar; more for rolling
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the lemon cream:

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon)
6 oz. (1-1/2 cups) confectioners’ sugar

Make the cookies:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line three baking sheets with parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla and continue to beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low, slowly add the flour mixture, and mix until just incorporated, about 1 minute. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Put about 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. Using your hands, roll teaspoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in sugar and arrange them about 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies slightly. Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies feel dry to the touch and are beginning to firm up (they’ll still feel soft inside), 10 to 14 minutes. Cool completely on racks.

Make the lemon cream:

With a hand mixer, mix the cream cheese and lemon zest in a medium bowl until smooth. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to mix until smooth.

Assemble the cookies:

Drop about 1 tsp. of the lemon cream in the center of a cookie, top with another cookie, and gently press them. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

nutrition information (per serving):
Size : per cookie; Calories (kcal): 150; Fat (g): 6; Fat Calories (kcal): 50; Saturated Fat (g): 4; Protein (g): 1; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 1.5; Carbohydrates (g): 24; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 0; Sodium (mg): 55; Cholesterol (mg): 25; Fiber (g): 0;

Photo: Scott Phillips

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by Psalm29, 12/27/2012These were amazing (followed the recipe exactly) - I won our office baking competition with them! :)

by moetitus, 10/1/2011Wow! Fabulous! My husband is addicted to Trader Joe's triple ginger snaps. I never thought he'd ever try another cookie, until this one. I also upped the spice a bit and added, in a nod to the TJ's cookies, minced crystallized ginger. The combo of ginger and lemon is to die for!

by DarbyOShea, 10/28/2010Just about the finest cookie I've ever eaten! I added much more spice to mine, but they're still delicious without the extra! Here's my version: http://darbyoshea.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/december-day-21-short-on-subtlety/

by eidamj, 7/18/2010These are fabulous. The only thing I changed about the third time I made them was to add more ginger and more molasses and it made them even better. I use the smallest ice cream scoop to make even sized cookies and sprinkle them with sugar before baking. They come out perfect and it saves the whole 'make them into balls' thing.

by lrbarnwell, 10/3/2009made these to share at work...comments included "totally addicting" don't change a thing in making these, super easy to do

by thyme330, 9/27/2009I made these cookies and had a dozen requests for the recipe. The second time I made them, I made the cookie dough balls a little smaller and cut down on the cooking time to 9 minutes. They were perfect. They are crispier the first day you make them, softer the second day and more flavorful. These are fabulous cookies. Well worth the effort.

by teacooking, 8/28/2009I loved these cookies and they were a big hit with my family. The lemon cream is delicious but the cookies are great on their own too. I'll make these again and again.

by skiwindjunkie, 7/24/2009These cookies were a perfect end to the splendor lunch. I made the dough the night before & the lemon cream. I baked and assembled them that day. A little time consuming to make but worth the effort. Good combo of flavors.

by Roussy, 6/24/2009These cookies are outstanding. My mother made them for a Father's Day picnic with several other recipes from the magazine, but these were definitely the highlight. She didn't have cardamom on hand, so she substituted a little bit of nutmeg. I had to ask for the recipe and am making some this weekend because my household can't stop talking about them!

by Amy, 5/30/2009Oh my...

by MississippiGal, 5/22/2009I made these last night for a Memorial Day weekend cookout. They are EXCELLENT. My stand mixer is out of commission, but using my hand mixer worked just fine. I followed the recipe exactly (except I couldn't find cardamom). I made my cookies a little larger than called for (I'm spacially ignorant), so I only had about 18 sandwiches and they took 2 extra minutes to bake. (Note the butter, cream cheese and egg need to be at room temp and the dough needs an hour to chill in the fridge.) The spicy-sweet combo is wonderful. After sitting overnight, the cookies were soft and delicious. Can't wait to surprise my guests with these.