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!
*I’m sharing this recipe as part of my review of Oh Sweet Day! A Celebration Cookbook. I received a complimentary review copy of the cookbook from the author, Fanny Lam. All opinions are my own.
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.
Some Tips for Making Chewy Ginger Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 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.
Other Notable Recipes from Oh Sweet Day! A Celebration Cookbook
Here are just a few of the other recipes I’m hoping to try soon:
Chocolate Ganache Cake, page 19
Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Cakes, page 37
Granola with Almonds, Dried Cranberries and Coconut, page 76
Tahini Chocolate Banana Cupcakes, page 145
Crispy Rocky Road Bars, page 146
If you make these Chewy Ginger Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting or purchase Oh Sweet Day! A Celebration Cookbook, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.
And if you’re looking for other Christmas cookie recipes, you can always check out the following recipes on Crumb Top Baking:
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Spiced Pear Gingerbread Cookie Cups
-
Peppermint Mocha Fudge Avocado Brownies
-
Chocolate Chai Spice Crumble Bars
Credit: Recipe from Oh Sweet Day! A Celebration Cookbook, reprinted by permission of Front Table Book, an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc.
Print
Chewy Ginger Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 18 sandwich cookies
- Category: Desserts
Description
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!
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 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.
Keywords: ginger, cookies, holidays, Christmas
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.
★★★★★
Love the recipe.
I have only one question: Can I replace the cream cheese for natural iogurt?
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.
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.
★★★★★
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you liked the frosting! Thanks for letting me know.
When do you add the eggs and molasses?
Hi Britt. The egg and molasses should be added to the wet mixture right after the butter and sugar are mixed together. I’ve made that change to the recipe. Thanks for your question!
Thank you for the lovely post about my cookbook and the recipe, Leanne! Really appreciate it! 🙂
Thanks for creating such a lovely cookbook! I’m looking forward to making many more recipes!
My mind has switched to Christmas ideas as well, and although I’m not sharing any for a few weeks, I have already got some photos for my future posts. Besides, I don’t mind gingerbread all year round. These cookies look phenomenally delicious (perfect texture too), and the cream cheese frosting? Yes please!
Thanks Ben! I’m probably getting a little carried away with the Christmas recipes this year! Can’t wait to see what you’ll be sharing!
YUM! Ginger with the lemon cream cheese sounds amazing! A perfect combination!! Pinned!
★★★★★
Thanks Annie! I had no idea ginger and lemon could make such a great combo! Thanks for pinning!
Ginger cookies are one of my favorite holiday treats! I love the combination of gingerbread with citrus and cream cheese so these sandwich cookies are calling my name!
★★★★★
Thanks Marcie! I made these a few times in preparation for this post, and they were a big hit in my house. I’ll definitely be making them again for the holidays!
These cookies look so good Leanne, what a delicious combination this ginger and lemon must make. This is really a great holiday bake 🙂
Thanks Ashika! I had no idea lemon and ginger made such a great combo. I’m glad I tried these cookies!
i love the sound of lemon and ginger in cookies! and can’t wait to take a peek at her book- it looks fantastic from what i’ve seen so far (:
★★★★★
Lemon and ginger are a great combo! If you like Christmas cookbooks, this one doesn’t disappoint. Thanks for stopping by Heather!
I need to make these! Reminds me of when I was a kid.
Pics amazing as usual!
Thanks Terri! They remind me of my childhood too. Would love to know what you think if you make them!
Sounds like I need to add this book to my library immediately! The texture of those cookies looks just perfect! And how about that gravity defying stack in the first photo!? Well done! 😉
★★★★★
Thanks Marissa! It’s definitely a cookbook worth checking out. And I always love photographing a cookie stack! It’s a fun challenge! Have a great week!
Fanny’s cookbook is fantastic Leanne! I’ll be sharing a recipe too. And these chewy ginger sandwich cookies will be next on my baking list! Delicious!!
★★★★★
Thanks Mary Ann! It’s a great cookbook. Can’t wait to see which recipe you’ll be sharing!
Thanks for the cookbook info. Great stack of cookies and have a great weekend
Thanks Patrick! Hope you had a great weekend too!
Eeeeek I love ginger cookies SO much. This is such a delicious pairing!! I would have to give them all away so I don’t eat them all in one sitting. Have a great weekend, Leanne!
Haha! Thanks Katherine! That’s definitely why I tend to freeze Christmas cookies. Makes them a little less accessible! Hope you had a lovely weekend!
Thanks Leanne for the cookbook information…everything looks great as usual!
★★★★★
Thanks so much Barb! Hope your week is off to a great start!
Sounds like a great cookbook, Leanne! And these cookies sound marvelous with the ginger and lemon combo. Though you can eat the cookies as they are without frosting, I think that frosting is required….’cause holidays 😉 Hope you’re having a great week!
★★★★★
Thanks Dawn! These cookies were seriously great with and without the frosting. But agreed, when it’s the holidays, always go with the frosting! Hope you had a lovely weekend!
There’s not much in the dessert world I love as much as a ginger cookie. Paired with lemon? I’d eat the whole dang batch. These look incredible! I’ll have to check out that cookbook–as if I need another one 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks Kelsie! I just can’t resist a good cookbook, but there’s always room for one more! These cookies are pretty addictive, and I had no idea ginger and lemon could go so well together!