Description
These festive Christmas Chocolate Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies combine classic gingerbread spices with a rich, creamy chocolate filling. Soft and chewy gingerbread cookies are sandwiched together with a smooth chocolate ganache, making them the perfect holiday treat to share with family and friends.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies
- 3 and 1/2 cups (438g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 10 Tablespoons (2/3 cup; 142g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2/3 cup (160ml; about 200g) molasses
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Topping & Filling
- 3 Tablespoons (23g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
- 2/3 cup (120g) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Instructions
- Prepare the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves until evenly combined.
- Cream the Butter and Sugar: In a separate mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter with the light or dark brown sugar until the mixture is creamy and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes on medium speed.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Incorporate the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract into the butter-sugar mixture and beat until smooth and fully combined.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until a cohesive dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
- Chill the Dough: Divide the dough into two equal parts, flatten each into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Roll and Cut Cookies: Lightly flour a clean surface and roll out one dough disk to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter of your choice (holiday-themed work great) to cut out shapes. Place the cookies about 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are set but not overly browned. Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Chocolate Filling: In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat just until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat and pour over the semi-sweet chocolate morsels in a bowl. Let sit for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy. Allow to cool to room temperature or slightly thicker consistency for easier spreading.
- Assemble the Sandwich Cookies: Once the cookies have fully cooled, spread about 1 teaspoon of the chocolate filling onto the bottom side of one cookie and sandwich with another cookie, gently pressing together. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling.
- Dust with Confectioners’ Sugar: Lightly dust the assembled sandwich cookies with confectioners’ sugar for a festive touch before serving.
Notes
- For best results, chill the dough properly; this prevents excessive spreading during baking.
- You can substitute semi-sweet chocolate morsels with dark chocolate for a richer filling.
- Store the sandwich cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- If the filling becomes too soft, refrigerate the assembled cookies briefly before serving.
- Feel free to customize the spice levels by adjusting the amounts of ginger, cinnamon, or cloves to your preference.
Keywords: Christmas cookies, gingerbread cookies, chocolate filling, holiday baking, sandwich cookies, festive desserts