soft & chewy gingerbread sandwich cookies.

So I was in the middle of getting all my ingredients together to make chocolate chip cookies.. then I was like “well maybe I can add cinnamon and spices to these”.. then it just became a gingerbread cookie that was SUPER soft.. and I’m not mad about it.  I cut out little stars and sandwiched them together with cream cheese frosting.  YES.

Recipe: (makes about 3 dozen cookies)

for the cookies:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature OR 1 & 1/2 stick butter + 1/4 cup Wild Friends Gingerbread Peanut Butter
• 1 & 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons molasses
• 2 & 1/2 cup flour OR Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes mix (adds more protein)
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1 Tablespoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar together until fluffy – about 3 minutes.
• Add vanilla extract, egg and molasses and mix until combined.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt and whisk together.
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in about 3 increments, mixing after each addition.
• Grease a baking sheet and place about 1 tablespoon of batter for each cookie.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes until browned (I always take my cookies out a little bit before they’re done – so I go for the 8 minute mark depending on the size of the cookie)
• Let cool slightly, then transfer to cooling rack.

Recipe:

for the icing: 

• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Place butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a bowl.
• With an electric mixer, beat until combined.
• Add powdered sugar, about 1/3 cup at a time (so you don’t make a huge mess) and beat until combined after each addition.
• Once cookies are cool, make sandwich cookies!  (about 1-2 tablespoons in the middle of two cookies)
• Enjoy!