Ginger Sandwich Cookies with Apple Butter Cream Filling
Apples abound in October and it is only fitting that the Creative Cookie Exchange share APPLE recipe ideas for this fall season. How will you bake cookies with apples? Apple, apple butter, apple juice, applesauce-- if it includes apples we'd love to see your cookie recipe.
I'm sharing these ginger sandwich cookies which are transformed into an autumn recipe with the addition of apple butter in the filling. If you are in a hurry simply use only the apple butter as the filling between two ginger cookies. If you have an extra 5 minutes then you'll easily whip up a filling to incorporate the apple butter with some cream cheese or a butter cream base. Both options are mentioned below.
Recipe adapted from ginger cookies from Food & Wine magazine
Ginger Sandwich Cookies with Apple Butter Cream Filling
Make these as sandwich cookies or skip the filling and eat this ginger cookies on their own. Either way you'll love the warm spiced flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ¼ cup unsulfured molasses
- 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- ½ cup apple butter
- OR
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup apple butter
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the dry ingredients of flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk and set aside.
- In a stand mixer (or electric mixer) beat together the butter and both sugars. Add the egg and molasses. beat on high for 2-3 minutes. Add the mixed dry ingredients and stir on low speed until well combined.
- I found that these cookies spread quite a bit due to the combination of molasses, sugar and brown sugar. If your first batch spreads too much then you will find that refrigerating the dough is helpful. Place small rounds of dough on the parchment lined baking sheets. My ideal size was approximately 2 oz per dough ball which resulted in oreo-sized cookies. I tried this on parchment lined baking sheets which worked well. I also had a neat silicone mat meant for macaron baking. It had small circles into which I placed my dough and the size of the finished cookies were more consistent.
- Bake the 2 oz dough balls for 8-10 minutes. As noted in the original recipe, the cookies will rise up with small domes while baking then do deflate to a flat cookie. I mention this so you know that you've done nothing wrong when you see your ginger cookies rise and fall again!
- Make either of the fillings or fill with a thick apple butter. To make the fillings whip with a whisk or process in a blender with a whisk attachment until the filling is smooth. Place a small amount on one cookie then sandwich it with a second.
- Store the cookies in an air-tight container. These cookies stay slightly chewy for 3-5 days stored properly. Only add the filling when you are ready to serve the cookies.
Notes
Refrigerating the dough will help reduce the spread of the cookies as they bake. 30 minutes to an hour should be sufficient.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 137Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 130mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 17gProtein: 1g
This data is provided by Nutritionix and is an estimate only.
Holly Baker started the food blog, A Baker's House, in 2011. She is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer for the site. Holly loves to bake and shares recipes for gluten free food, canning recipes, as well as traditional desserts too. Her recipes and food photography have been highlighted by BuzzFeed, Reader's Digest, and She Knows.
We have just found a grand passion for apple butter in this household, so I know these would be a huge hit. Gorgeous cookie!!!
Thanks, Tara, I agree. There isn't much wrong with apple butter-- except its name-- no butter in sight!
These are absolutely beautiful Holly. These are just the essence of fall. I'd like a dozen please.
Thanks, Karen! I'll keep you in mind on my next batch!
What a great idea of making a cookie sandwich with apple butter, Holly! I love this!
Thanks, Stacy, I am in an apple butter craze at the moment and would eat it on nearly anything. These ginger cookies were just right with it.
One of my favorite combinations in fall are my favorite ginger/molasses cookies with an apple on the side; the flavors are just perfectly together. So of course I love these! Better get baking; I would like a dozen too! 🙂
Even my younger son has requested a repeat of these cookies so I know they must have been good! Now if I could only get my older son to have a taste...he doesn't know what he is missing!
I love the idea of making a sandwich cookie by adding the apple butter, cream cheese or butter cream...the perfect flavor profile! Thanks for sharing your delicious recipe with the Creative Cookie Exchange, APPLES. btw, your photo is lovely!
Great theme this month, Rebecka! I am looking forward to spending time tonight enjoying all of the APPLE posts.
These cookies look SO gorgeous, Holly!
Thanks! Sorry to read that you had trouble with a disappearing post today. How frustrating! I'll make the rounds tonight to read all the posts. Thanks for finding time to read mine today when you must have had a hectic day.
What beautiful and flavorful cookies! Pinned. And my husband loves ginger snaps and apple butter so I know he would be thrilled if I made these for him.
I was surprised that these cookies have stayed somewhat soft and chewy and did not crisp up like a typical gingersnap. I liked that about them for a change from the usual gingersnap.
I love your passion for apples! Looks like we are going to be friends 🙂 These cookies are very beautiful and I love the filling. It would be perfect for macarons too 🙂
What a fantabulous idea, Holly! Ginger and apple do go together like the other Ginger and Fred =)
(Are you too young to remember the famous dancing couple Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire?)
At any rate, love your ginger cookies and apple butter cream filling. This recipe is a keeper!
These are so cute! I love the combination of flavors - perfect. pinning!
they look yummy!
These cookies are so dainty and cute! All of the methods of filling that you mentioned sound amazing. I think I would have to try one of each!
Those sound delicious Holly! Your photo is so beautiful too.
Ginger is one of my favorite flavors. I love that you used apples in the cream filling, rather than the cookie.
I would inhale the entire stack up there... no joke. These sound incredible!! And they are gorgeous!
Oh these look so good! I love apple and ginger together, and with a creamy filling. Definitely sounds like a recipe up my alley. 🙂
These look and sound really good, yum apple and ginger.
Thanks! Apple and ginger is a favorite combination of mine. Next time I make apple butter I may add ginger to the ingredients.
Ginger cookies are my weakness. I love the apple butter filling. Wonderful recipe!
Thanks, Miranda, I am on a ginger kick now too. What a great flavor to use this fall!
Thanks for reading and I hope the cookies work out for you!
Those came out beautifully! And I love the photo! Great job--and I seriously want to eat one! Thanks for baking with us--hope to see you baking again in the few weeks!