Gingerbread cookies are a December non-negotiable in our house but then I sandwiched two of them together with a spiced cream cheese frosting and completely ruined every other gingerbread cookie for myself forever. These spiced gingerbread cookie sandwiches are thick, tender, warmly spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, and filled with the creamiest cinnamon nutmeg cream cheese frosting that makes every single bite taste like the coziest version of Christmas. The holiday cookie upgrade nobody asked for and everybody needs.

The butter and shortening combination in the dough is the detail that makes the texture of these cookies so special. Butter brings the flavor and shortening keeps them soft, plush, and perfectly thick without spreading too much in the oven. The molasses adds that deep, rich warmth that makes a gingerbread cookie taste like a real gingerbread cookie and the extra egg yolk adds richness that you can taste in every bite. Roll them thick, a full half inch, and bake them just until the edges are set with the centers still looking slightly soft. They will continue to set as they cool and the result is the most tender, melt in your mouth gingerbread cookie that holds its shape beautifully for sandwiching.

Chill the dough in the freezer for twenty to thirty minutes before rolling. This is the step that keeps the cookies from spreading and helps you get that nice clean shape and thick bake that makes these look so impressive. If the dough gets too cold and stiff while you are rolling just let it sit on the counter for five minutes and it will come right back to a workable texture. Six to seven minutes in the oven is all they need. Pull them early, let them cool completely, and then the fun part begins.

The spiced cream cheese frosting is cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar whipped into the silkiest, most perfectly spiced filling that pipes beautifully or spreads easily with a knife onto the bottom of each cookie. Sandwich them generously, store in an airtight container with a slice of bread or apple to keep them moist, and you have the holiday cookie that earns a permanent spot on your December baking list every single year.

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A post shared by Nicole Warren | Faith, Food & Motherhood (@nicole_thenomad)

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

The spiced cream cheese frosting sandwiched between two thick tender gingerbread cookies ruined every regular gingerbread cookie forever and that is the highest possible compliment a recipe upgrade can receive
The butter and shortening combination gives you that specific thick soft plush texture that stays moist and tender for days in a way that all butter cookies simply cannot match
These are the holiday cookie that earns the most compliments at any cookie exchange, dessert board, or gift box and people always want to know what is inside before they even finish the first one
The freezer chill before rolling is what makes these work so well and so easily because the firm dough cuts beautifully, holds its shape perfectly, and bakes up thick and tall every single time

Key Ingredients:

Butter and shortening combination: Half a cup of butter and a quarter cup of shortening creamed together is the texture secret that makes these cookies so distinctly thick and plush. Butter adds flavor and shortening keeps them soft, prevents spreading, and maintains that pillowy quality that makes a gingerbread sandwich cookie so satisfying to bite through
Molasses: Half a cup is the ingredient that makes a gingerbread cookie taste like a real gingerbread cookie rather than just a spiced sugar cookie. It adds deep, rich, slightly bitter warmth and contributes to the chewiness and moisture that keeps these sandwich cookies tender for days
Extra egg yolk: Added alongside the whole egg for extra richness and fat that you can taste in every single bite. The yolk contributes to the dense, slightly chewy quality that makes these cookies so different from a lighter, cakier cut-out cookie
Full tablespoon of ginger: The spice that makes these taste specifically and boldly like gingerbread rather than just vaguely spiced. One tablespoon is a generous amount and it is exactly right. A timid amount of ginger produces a timid gingerbread cookie and nobody wants that
Spiced cream cheese frosting: Eight ounces of cream cheese, half a cup of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg whipped into the silkiest most perfectly spiced filling. The cinnamon and nutmeg in the frosting mirror the spices in the cookie and make the whole sandwich taste completely cohesive from the first bite to the last
A slice of bread or apple in the storage container: The trick that keeps these sandwich cookies moist and plush throughout the full storage window by maintaining humidity in the container without touching the cookies directly

Tips for Success:

Chill the dough in the freezer for twenty to thirty minutes rather than the refrigerator for a faster firming time and a dough that is cold enough to roll thickly without sticking to the surface or the rolling pin
Roll a full half inch thick and resist the urge to roll thinner. Thicker cookies bake up softer and hold up better to the generous layer of cream cheese frosting. Thin gingerbread cookies become crispy rather than tender and sandwich cookies need to be soft
Bake for only six to seven minutes and pull them when the edges are just set with the centers still looking slightly underdone. They will set as they cool and that slight underbake is what keeps them tender rather than crisp all the way through
Make sure both the butter and cream cheese for the frosting are fully softened to room temperature before mixing. Cold cream cheese makes lumpy frosting and lumpy frosting does not pipe or spread cleanly onto the flat side of each cookie

Storage:

Store spiced gingerbread cookie sandwiches in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. Add a slice of bread or a slice of apple to the container to maintain humidity and keep the cookies moist and plush throughout the entire storage window. The bread or apple trick is genuinely one of the best cookie storage tips for keeping soft cookies soft and these sandwich cookies in particular benefit enormously from it. These can also be frozen unfrosted for up to two months and assembled after thawing.

FAQ:

Why do I need both butter and shortening?
Each ingredient is doing a specific job in this dough. Butter adds the rich, warm, slightly caramelized flavor that makes these taste like a really good cookie. Shortening has a higher melting point than butter which means it melts more slowly during baking and keeps the cookies from spreading too thin while maintaining that soft, plush, almost pillowy interior texture. Together they give you the best possible gingerbread sandwich cookie in terms of both flavor and texture.

Can I make the cookies and frosting ahead of time separately?
Yes and it is actually the most efficient approach for holiday baking. Bake the cookies and store unfrosted in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Make the frosting and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Assemble the sandwiches the day before or the day of your event for the freshest and most beautifully presented result.

How thick should the frosting layer be?
Be genuinely generous with the frosting. A thin layer gets lost against the strong gingerbread flavor and the whole point of a sandwich cookie is that the filling is a proper presence in every bite. Pipe or spread a layer that is at least as thick as the cookie itself so when you press the two halves together the frosting meets the edges and you can see the cream cheese layer from the side. That full generous layer is what makes people reach for a second one immediately.