Chewy Ginger Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting are a delightful Christmas cookie from Oh Sweet Day! A Celebration Cookbook! With a lemon cream cheese middle, these chewy ginger sandwich cookies are decadent but not overly sweet, and they go perfectly with a cup of tea or a mug of hot chocolate!
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Happy November! I know, it's a day after Halloween and I'm already sharing a Christmas cookie recipe. But what can I say? It's less than eight weeks until Christmas, and I have so many recipes I want to share with you guys, so I can't waste any time.
And what better way to kick off the Christmas cookie season than with a ginger cookie?! But not just a ginger cookie, a chewy ginger sandwich cookie!
About Oh Sweet Day! A Celebration Cookbook
Oh Sweet Day! A Celebration Cookbook is by Fanny Lam of the food blog, Oh Sweet Day. It's a cookbook dedicated to holiday celebrations and filled with edible gifts, party treats and festive desserts. It was published in early October 2018, and includes a range of sweet treats organized in the following chapters:
- Cakes
- Buns, Breads, Muffins, Breakfast
- Pies, Tarts
- Cookies, Macarons
- Cupcakes, Donuts, Bars
- Confections
If you like variety, lovely food photos and holiday recipes that can be made any time of the year, you should probably add this cookbook to your list!
If you're a long-time reader of Crumb Top Baking, you already know how much I love baking, and gearing up for the Christmas baking season is simply the best time of year.
Some weekend soon I will spend an entire Saturday morning drinking endless cups of coffee while sifting through the pages of dozens of cookbooks. By the time the morning ends, I will have a list as long as my arm of all the Christmas cookies and desserts I want to make.
While my list will include plenty of clean eating treats, I always enjoy making some decadent treats for the holidays. Life is all about balance, and I always make sure to strike that balance around Christmas.
And if you haven't guessed yet, these Chewy Ginger Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting are one of the decadent treats on my list this year. They're not overly sweet, and with the warm spices and chewy texture, they're sure to be a hit with the cookie lovers in your life.
Recipe tips
- To make sandwich cookies, you need flat cookies. To ensure your cookies turn out flat and chewy, make sure you beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. The first time I made these, I didn't beat them together long enough and the cookies didn't flatten out.
- Be sure to space out the dough balls at least 2 inches before baking. These cookies really spread out and flatten, so they need the extra space. (I learned this the hard way the second time I made them!)
- The chewy ginger cookies are an awesome treat on their own. So if you aren't a big fan of cream cheese frostings, you can forego the sandwich cookies and enjoy the single layers.
- These are great to make ahead for the holidays. You can freeze the sandwiches and defrost when ready to enjoy. Or you can just freeze the cookies and when ready to enjoy, defrost and add the frosting before serving.
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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Credit: Recipe from Oh Sweet Day! A Celebration Cookbook, reprinted by permission of Front Table Book, an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc.
📖 Recipe
Chewy Ginger Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
For the frosting:
- ½ cup cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Pre-heat the oven to 325F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. About 5 minutes.
- Beat in the egg and molasses until combined.
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and arrange on the baking sheets about two inches a part.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. Depending on the size of your pans, you will likely need to bake the cookies in two batches.
- Let the cookies cool on the pans for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the frosting:
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the cream cheese, butter and lemon juice and using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until creamy. About 2 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined. Then increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy. About 5 minutes.
- Using a knife, spread the frosting on the bottom side of 18 of the cookies. Top with the other 18 cookies to make sandwiches.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 4-5 days, or freeze for later enjoyment.
Notes
- To ensure your cookies turn out flat and chewy, make sure you beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This will really take about 5 minutes.
- Be sure to space out the dough balls at least 2 inches apart before baking. The cookies will spread out and flatten, so they need the extra space.
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Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
Did you make this recipe or have any questions?
I love reading your comments and addressing your questions, so please leave your comments and ratings or questions below!
Vic says
Oh they are delicious, but mine have a bitter aftertaste - I'm not sure if it's because I replaced the ginger for fresh ginger (it's what I had in my end-of-year pantry 😅) or because I activated the bicarb soda with lemon before mixing (wondering if maybe that stopped it from mixing well) OR if it's because I don't have any electronics and did all the mixing by hand 😅😅😅 either way, it's all my fault, but I definitely will be making them again, because the texture and general taste is amazing.
Joana says
Love the recipe.
I have only one question: Can I replace the cream cheese for natural iogurt?
Leanne says
Thank you. Sorry, I haven't made this recipe with anything but cream cheese, but I wouldn't recommend replacing the cream cheese with yogurt as they have different textures. Hope that helps.
Tara says
I absolutely love the Triple Ginger Snaps from Trader Joe’s. In a pinch, we made the lemon icing to sandwich between the cookies. They turned out perfectly and were such a hit at our girlfriend get together. Thank you for the recipe.
Leanne says
That's awesome! I'm so glad you liked the frosting! Thanks for letting me know.