You want to know a secret? It’s the secret to a great sandwich cookie.
The secret, my friends, is restraint.
In the case of these gingerbread sandwich cookies, you have to hold back the urge to make big hand-sized cookies. Instead opt for a smaller cookie since there will be two sandwiched together. You have to hold back the urge to double-stuff these guys with vanilla buttercream also. Sure, buttercream is delicious, but too much filling can kill the balance.
If you master the size of the cookie and the filling ratio, these guys really are a thing of beauty. I love making sandwich cookies and these are probably my favorite that I’ve made.
What flour to use for sandwich cookies?
I used Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour for my version and I have to say I was completely surprised by it. It’s one of the best gluten-free flour options I’ve tried. Of course, you can substitute all-purpose flour in this recipe, but the paleo mix was very delicious. I might actually prefer it in a soft cookie like this. It’s pretty unbelievable to me that one of my favorite cookies of the year ended up being gluten free.
Go forth readers and make sandwich cookies, but remember: RESTRAINT.
Making the Gingerbread Cookies
Okay. Enough gushing. No matter what flour you use, mix it together with the spices and whisk it well. The ground ginger is important obviously so get a nice fresh jar of it if yours is stale. It makes a difference.
Once you cream the butter and sugar together and add the egg and molasses, slowly add in your dry ingredients and you’ll end up with a beautiful rich gingerbread dough.
Let this chill for a little bit and then roll the dough into balls and coat them in sparking sugar.
Here’s where we work on restraint. Small tablespoon size is what you’re going for. I kept finding myself making them larger as I went but try to keep them within reason.
After an 8-10 minute bake at 350 degrees, they should be a little crackly, but still soft on the inside. Perfect.
This is a normal sized baking sheet so you can see the size of my cookies here. They are smaller than I would normally make.
I tried to show off the texture on these guys. I really liked the texture of the cookies.
Let the cookies cool completely before you try to fill them or you’ll have a melted mess on your hands.
Making the buttercream filling
This is a really basic buttercream filling and it goes so well with the gingerbread cookies. Beat together the butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar for a quick buttercream filling. Easy stuff.
Assembling the sandwich cookies
These are easy to assemble, but remember to let the gingerbread cookies cool completely before adding the filling.
Then, again with the restraint, add a dollop and sandwich.
BOOM.
These turned out better than expected and as I said, I actually liked my batch with the paleo mix better than my batch with the all-purpose flour, but it was a small difference. Both were great.
These gingerbread sandwich cookies are the perfect thing to take to a cookie swap or just have out for guests. They are a little different and actually not hard to make.
Enjoy!
Storing these cookies for later
These gingerbread sandwich cookies are best on the day they are made, but also keep fine for a few days. Because of the buttercream frosting I would keep them in the fridge but they are best when the buttercream is soft. So, if possible, let them come to room temperature before serving.
Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Soft Gingerbread Cookies:
- 2 ¼ cups Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour, SUB: 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup molasses
- Coarse sugar, for rolling
Buttercream Filling:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- For cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl whisk together paleo baking flour (or all-purpose flour), ground ginger, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and salt.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer) cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, a few minutes of mixing. Then add in egg, water, and molasses. Finally slowly mix in the dry ingredients until the dough comes together.
- Chill dough for 30 minutes.
- When ready to bake, make small tablespoon sized balls of dough out of the gingerbread dough and roll it into a ball. Coat the ball in coarse sugar and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until cookies are golden brown around the edges. You should get about 36 small cookies out of this batch.
- Let cookies cool completely.
- Meanwhile, add butter for filling to a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar in ½ cup batches and vanilla and beat until smooth. It should be a very thick, but also light filling.
- When cookies are cooled, add about a tablespoon of filling to each sandwich.
- Cookies are fine stored at room temperature for a day or two in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Jenny
Those look amazing. I didn’t know that Bob’s Mill sells paleo flour as well. Is it different to the gluten-free all purpose version?
Nick
I know! First time for me as well, but it’s really good stuff. It is a bit of a different blend from their normal gluten free mix, but I”m not sure on the exact details!
Michelle
I had no idea that Bob’s Red Mill makes Paleo Baking Flour! Eeek, so excited!
Matt @ The Bluenosers
I agree, restraint it key. Especially as you can still lick the spoon as it were for your icing fix!
Bakeries Near Me
Paleo Baking Flour from Bob’s Red Mill? Wow! Can’t wait to try it!
By the way, the cookies look delicious, I’ll take note of the recipe ;-)
Boogie
These look delicious and perfect for the holidays! I can’t wait to try them.
Anjali
Hi Nick! Would you say the cookies are chewy or crispy?