These Soft Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies with Lemon-Creme Filling are a great addition to your holiday baking repertoire. I’m calling these sandwich cookies because they really are a great, soft ginger cookie. Not cakey like some whoopie pies are (and like they’re called in the old McCormick recipe these are inspired from). You could easily make just the cookie part and serve them on their own. They have a slightly crisp edge and a chewy soft center so they’re for sure a cookie. Way to own that one, cookie. Give these ones a try and let me know you think!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Cookies
- All-purpose flour
- Ground ginger
- Ground cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Ground nutmeg
- Salt
- Butter – Always use real butter if you can.
- Brown sugar – Dark brown or golden brown both work.
- Molasses – Use regular unsulphered molasses like Grandma’s brand here. Avoid blackstrap, as it’s too bitter for baking. You’ll find molasses in the baking aisle of your grocery store, often near corn syrup and other sweeteners.
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Granulated sugar – For rolling.
Filling
- Butter
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon extract
- Crushed lemon drop candies
How to Make Soft Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies
Step 1: Make the Cookies
- Start by mixing up some spices with your flour: ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set that aside and cream some butter and brown sugar together.
- Once those are light and fluffy, add in some vanilla, and egg, and some molasses. Then add those dry ingredients until you have a nice soft dough.
- The original recipe calls for chilling the dough, but I skipped that step and they baked up perfectly. Just roll into balls and roll them in sugar. I use my standard sized cookie scoop and divide that dough ball in half.
- Bake them until just puffed with little lines like you see in the photos below. Let them cool on a rack until they’re room temperature.
Step 2: Make the Filling and Assemble
- Another thing I changed from the original recipe is the filling. The flavor is great but the consistency posed problems for me, as it was way too soft. I made a simple cream cheese buttercream instead and it was quite a bit thicker, which worked well for the sandwiches.
- You have enough to put on a generous amount each cookie. The filling is butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon extract. The lemon really is a perfect compliment to the ginger and spices in the cookie.
- In the original recipe, those ginger sandwich cookies were rolled in…candy canes. That flavor combo seemed a bit off to me, so I thought of something better: I pulsed lemon drop candies in my Blendtec: and then rolled the finished cookies in them. You get a little shimmery sparkly burst of lemony goodness and a soft cookie with warm spices that taste like they are soul-mates. If you want the filling to firm up a bit, just store the cookies in the fridge.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4-5 days for best results.
- When you measure your molasses, spray your measuring cup with non-stick spray first and it will slide right out.
- I always suggest with sandwich cookies to go smaller than you think you want. Remember you’ll eat 2 at a time, so smaller is sometimes better.
- It’s very important to not overcook sandwich cookies. If anything, underbake them a little, or a lot. That way they’ll be soft enough to not completely squish the filling out when you bite into them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the flavor of the filling?
Sure. Feel free to leave out the lemon or replace it with another flavor like vanilla or orange.
What can I use in place of the crushed lemon drops?
Depending on the flavor of your filling, you can use white or colored sanding sugar, sprinkles, crushed candies in your preferred flavor, or leave them plain.
Do I have to fill these cookies?
Nope! Feel free to enjoy them with a little dollop of frosting on top, or as a plain cookie.
Could I make ice cream sandwiches with these?
Definitely. Just make sure you do not overbake them. You want them nice and soft so they can still be bitten into after freezing. You may be interested in this Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream Sandwich recipe, as it uses a spice cookie recipe for the cookie portion.
Can I freeze these?
These cookies will freeze well. However, I’d probably recommend making the filling fresh and sandwiching them right before serving.
Soft Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Creme Filling
Soft and chewy gingerbread cookies sandwiched with a bright and fresh creme filling; great for the holidays!
Servings sandwich cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup butter softened
- ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- granulated sugar for rolling about ¼ cup
Filling
- ½ cup butter softened to room temp
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency- I use 3 cups
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract more to taste if desired)
- Crushed lemon drop candies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, if desired, and set aside.
- Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Set aside.
- Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg and vanilla; beat well.
- Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. You may chill dough for at least an hour or bake immediately.
- When ready to bake, shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar to coat. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until centers are puffed and just slightly cracked and edges are set. Timing depends on the size of cookies you make. My tiny ones took only 4-5 minutes so keep an eye on them. Aim for underbaking just a bit. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
- Meanwhile, for the filling, combine all filling ingredients and beat until smooth.
- When cookies are completely cool, spread a generous dollop of frosting on one cookie and top with another. Dip cookies in crushed lemon candy and between layers of wax paper in airtight container in refrigerator up to 5 days.
Notes
- Store finished cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4-5 days for best results.
- When you measure your molasses, spray your measuring cup with non-stick spray first and it will slide right out.
- I always suggest with sandwich cookies to go smaller than you think you want. Remember you’ll eat 2 at a time, so smaller is sometimes better.
- It’s very important to not overcook sandwich cookies. If anything, underbake them a little, or a lot. That way they’ll be soft enough to not completely squish the filling out when you bite into them.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sandwich, Calories: 196kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 24mg, Sodium: 133mg, Potassium: 112mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 287IU, Vitamin C: 0.004mg, Calcium: 25mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 196kcal
Cost: $12
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Questions & Reviews
They used to carry the Carr’s cookies at my Costco for a great price, but I haven’t been able to find them for several months. I wish they’d bring them back…they were my keep-on-hand quick gift to give when I needed to! Love the flavor combination. Can’t wait to try the homemade ones!
How is the cookie part of this recipe different from your chewy ginger cookies already posted? Those are my boys’ favs:)
Yes, those are one of my faves too! Those are definitely chewier. They get a little more crisp around the edges and definitely have a bit more chew. These ones are softer in the centers.
Sara – you are a genius once again. That combo sounds perfect. One of my favorite things is ginger snaps. I will try it with the lemon this time. Thank you for your creatity and always sharing your talent with us.
Lemon and ginger.. This sounds like an interesting combo I will definitely have to try and while I’m actually commenting I have to say I recently made your cookie crunch popcorn.. With the red hots? For my fiancé’s birthday with his family and the entire batch was gone before dinner! 🙂 and I have a totally random question too. You guys are always making the most adorable printables on this site. I have to make some that I can print out on sticker labels for the tops of mini jam jars (like a very very small mason jar) that are for my wedding favors. Does anyone know of a good program to use to do this? I’m totally lost when it comes to this cute and adorable crafty stuff… Like I found these adorable ones online in a picture that said spread the love and had a cute lavender floral design (totally my theme!) but no instructions on where or how to do this. And I immediately thought of this site and the cute printables so I thought I’d ask 🙂
Holly if you want sticky labels, I suggest looking at Avery products (or something similar) that you can find at office supply stores. They’ll have instructions and templates to print directly on those labels. If you want to design something from scratch, you’ll need to use a photo editing program, like Photoshop (which is what we use to design our printables.) Good luck with your wedding plans and congratulations!
Carr’s makes a ginger lemon sandwich cookie I am in love with, but they are hard to find….so glad you shared this recipe!
COSTCO. They are amazing and that’s where I find them!
The recipe sounded perfect until I came to the Lemon with gingerbread.. That doesn’t seem to be something I can wrap my mind around lol. Never thought of those two flavors together. I would most likely just stick to the cream cheese filling and roll them in Christmas sprinkles. They look fantastic though. Thank you for the recipe and Merry Christmas to your family!
Lemon and ginger actually go really well together. You’d totes be missing out if you don’t give it a try!
If you want to give the flavor combination a test drive before committing to the work involved in baking all those cookies, go to the store and buy a box of gingersnap cookies and a thing of lemon icing. Sandwich some of the cookies and icing together, let them sit overnight before eating. Sure, you don’t HAVE to wait, but the cookies absorb moisture from the icing and get soft and delicious if you do wait. Enjoy. 😉
Ashley it’s actually a pretty common combination! Ginger has a very lemony flavor itself so the two go hand in hand. That’s why things like lemon-ginger tea are so popular!
Those look awesome:) Can’t wait to try them – I love lemon and the crushed lemon drops were a stroke of genius!
Funny I was just looking for a gingerbread recipe on Wednesday. I froze the dough in balls to cook on saturday. I think this looks like a yummy thing to do with them and my husband loves lemon.
This looks seriously yummy! And that oven is pristine! Can you come to my house and, you know, spend some time here….. LOL
Haha, that’s because my oven is brand stinkin’ new!! It’s seriously been used only a handful of times. It amazes me too, which is why I keep taking “in the oven” photos. I’m currently taking bets on how long that will last 😉
Yum! I’ve never had a lot of experience with ginger bread, but it seems to be one of my favorite treats this year. The lemon sounds perfect to offset some of the more common flavors you see this time of year. Double yum!