Gingerbread cookies are one of my favourite things to bake, eat and share, especially around the holiday season. I usually leave them unadorned or glaze them with lemon icing, but this year I decided to take things up a notch by turning them into adorable linzer-style cookie sandwiches, filled with a lightly spiced cinnamon buttercream and rich salted caramel.
The combination of ginger, cinnamon, spice and salted caramel in these gingerbread cookie sandwiches is ridiculously moreish. They would make the perfect edible holiday gift for family and friends, or be equally perfect devoured alone with a quiet cup of tea.
I’ve filled these cookies with the best salted caramel you’ll ever taste, but if short on time, you can substitute with your favourite gourmet salted caramel from your local specialty food store.
Here’s to a delicious holiday baking season filled with gingerbread, salted caramel, cinnamon, spice and all things nice!
Baking Notes
1) If this is your first time making cookies or you encounter any problems while baking, I would recommend referring to my post on Cookie Basics.
2) For the most aromatic and tastiest gingerbread cookies, ensure you use the freshest ginger and ground spices you can buy. Please also note that the number of cookies will vary greatly depending on how thick you roll out the dough and what size cookie cutter you use.
Gingerbread Cookie Sandwiches + Salted Caramel
Delicious spicy gingerbread cookies are filled with cinnamon buttercream and rich salted caramel in this year’s favourite holiday cookie sandwich.
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookies
- 450g (3 cups) plain flour, sifted
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 150g butter
- 100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) dark brown sugar
- 125ml (1/2 cup) treacle
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2–3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 1 egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten
- 150–200ml Salted Caramel Sauce
Cinnamon Buttercream
- 80g unsalted butter, softened
- 160g (¾ cup) icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1–2 tbsp whole milk
Instructions
Gingerbread Cookies
- Sift flour, baking powder and spices together in a large bowl and set aside.
- Melt butter, sugar and treacle together in a large saucepan, then bring to the boil. Remove saucepan from heat and add bicarbonate of soda with a gentle stir. The mixture will foam and become paler in colour.
- Add fresh ginger, lemon zest and vanilla paste to butter and sugar mixture with another gentle stir.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then mix sifted dry ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture in small batches, then egg, until smooth.
- Bring the dough together into a ball, it will be warm and very soft, but do not add any flour. Flatten the dough into a disc, cover in cling film and chill for 1 hour or ideally overnight.
- Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) and line a couple of baking trays with baking paper.
- Roll dough out to a thickness of 4mm on lightly floured work surface, or between two sheets of baking paper sprinkled with flour.
- Cut shapes out of dough using a round scalloped 45mm cookie cutter. For half the cookies, cut out 25mm stars. Repeat until all dough has been used.
- Place cookies on a baking tray at least 1-2cm apart to allow cookies room to spread during baking. If time permits, refrigerating cookies 5-10 minutes before baking will encourage the cookies to hold their shape when baked.
- Bake cookies for 7-8 minutes in the middle of the oven, until cookies are lightly browned, then remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack. Ideally bake one tray at a time to allow more evenly baked cookies.
- When cookies have completely cooled, sandwich them together in pairs by piping cinnamon buttercream around the periphery and filling with salted caramel. Dust with sifted icing sugar to serve.
Cinnamon Buttercream
- Beat butter, sugar, cinnamon and cloves together until very light and fluffy.
- Depending on the buttercream consistency, beat in milk to slightly soften and lighten the buttercream.
- Place buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a small (3-4mm) nozzle, and set aside for assembly.
Enjoy!
Notes
Makes approximately 30-35 cookie sandwiches
You may also like:
Gingerbread Cake with Salted Caramel
Gingerbread Cookies with Lemon Icing
Roasted Cherry, Vanilla and Cinnamon Christmas Cookies
Is the oven temperature 350? Thanks <3
Hi Claire, thanks for the query.
Yes, the oven temperature is approximately 350°F (180°C).
Happy baking!
Salma
I’m in Canada where treacle isn’t common- would molasses be the best substitute in this case? Seems more gingerbread-y than corn syrup. Thanks!
Hi Katherine,
Thanks for the query. Yes, molasses would be the most ideal substitute, or if you prefer them a little sweeter and lighter – you can use golden syrup. Hope you enjoy them, I’m loving this combo this holiday season. Happy baking!
Salma
Any advice about freezing unbaked cookie dough ahead of time? I’m looking forward to making these for the holidays, they look delicious!
Hi Ali,
Thanks for your query and delighted to hear you’re interested in making these cookies. I usually make the dough, flatten it into a disc and wrap it well in cling wrap, then refrigerate it at least overnight but sometimes for 3-4 days before cutting out and baking the cookies. If there will be a longer interval between making the dough and baking the cookies, the dough should freeze well (again wrapped tightly in cling wrap in a disc shape) for at least a few weeks if not a couple of months. Remember to take it out in advance to thaw to consistency where the dough is still chilled but easier to roll. Hope this helps and happy baking!
Salma