This post is sponsored by ALDI USA. My chocolate gingerbread sandwich cookies combine gingerbread cookies with thick & creamy chocolate ganache. These linzer-shaped Christmas cookies are extra flavorful, extra special and beyond festive for the holiday season!
Happy National Cookie Day and day 3 in Sally’s Cookie Palooza!!! Yes, today December 4th is National Cookie Day and that’s a holiday we take VERY seriously around here. To celebrate this joyous occasion, I made a recipe where you literally eat two cookies at once. Is there really a better way to celebrate this day?
These Chocolate Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies Are:
- Adorably shaped & extra festive
- Flavored with robust molasses
- Spiced with plenty of ginger, cinnamon, allspice & cloves
- Crunchy on the edges, soft in the centers
- Filled with 2 ingredient chocolate ganache
And they combine linzer cookies, chocolate ganache and my most popular Christmas cookie recipe: gingerbread cookies. Have you ever had the pleasure of chocolate and gingerbread in one? Maybe you have tried these chocolate ginger cookies? Forget peanut butter this season (Wait. Am I really saying that?) because gingerbread is chocolate’s new best bud.
Chocolate Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies & ALDI!
The other week, I stocked up on all my baking products from my local ALDI. Many of you have been raving about their affordable prices in my Facebook group (thanks everyone!), so I was extra excited to check it out. They recently remodeled the store by us, so it was really easy to find everything I need for today’s recipe and all of my Christmas cookie baking. Butter, molasses, chocolate chips, spices, confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, sugar and so much more. If you haven’t shopped at ALDI before, I urge you to find a store near you not only to shop for your holiday baking products, but for fun snacks, affordable organic produce and everyday essentials.
Some Items You Need:
- Baker’s Corner Molasses
- Baker’s Corner Confectioners’ Sugar
- Baker’s Corner Semi-Sweet Morsels
How to Make Linzer-Style Gingerbread Cookies
- Make the cookie dough: This gingerbread cookie dough uses kitchen staples like butter, egg, flour, spices and brown sugar. You need a lot of flour to offset the sticky molasses and don’t be afraid to use more when you’re rolling out the cookie dough.
- Chill the cookie dough: This cookie dough needs to chill for 3 hours. Give yourself enough time or make the cookie dough ahead and chill it overnight. You want your cookie dough firm so it’s easy to work with and so the cookies hold their shape. Best way to chill it: divide it in half, flatten into 2 discs, wrap each up and place in the refrigerator. Smaller sections chill quicker and make rolling out easier.
- Roll it out: The cookie dough is firm coming out of the refrigerator, so take your time rolling it out. Use extra flour on your work surface, too. I use parchment paper or a silicone baking matโthat’s how I roll out my sugar cookies, too.
- Cut into shapes: Remember my raspberry pistachio linzer cookies, cherry almond linzer cookies, and caramel hazelnut linzer cookies? We’re cutting this gingerbread cookie dough the same way. Half will be whole cookies and half will have a festive shape in the center like a star or a Christmas tree.
- Bake: Bake the whole cookies and โdonutโ cookies on separate baking sheets. (I call the cookies with the hole in the center donut cookies!) The donut cookies take a minute less because of their smaller surface area.
- Dust half with confectioners sugar: Dust those donut cookies with a little snowfall in the form of confectioners’ sugar. ๐
- Fill with chocolate ganache: Spread your chocolate ganache on the underside of the whole cookies, then sandwich with a dusted donut cookie.
These are almost too pretty to eat. (I said almost.)
Chocolate Ganache Filling
Remember when I told you that chocolate ganache is best with pure chocolate bars? Turns out that Baker’s Corner Semi-Sweet Morsels make an unbelievable ganache and you don’t need to chop them up beforehand. Pour 1/2 cup of warm heavy cream over 2/3 cup semi-sweet morsels. Let it sit for a couple minutes, then stir until thick and smooth.
Foolproof and only 2 ingredients.
More Festive Cookies
The National Cookie Day celebration doesn’t end here! If you need more recipe inspiration after you stock up at ALDI, here are plenty of recipes to try next:
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Spritz Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Soft Molasses Cookies
- Cinnamon Roll Cookies
- Spiced Eggnog Oatmeal Cream Pies
See all cookie palooza recipes and 75+ of my favorite Christmas cookies for even more inspiration.
Chocolate Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes (includes chilling & cooling)
- Yield: 30 cookie sandwiches
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
My chocolate gingerbread sandwich cookies combine gingerbread cookies with creamy, thick chocolate ganache. The cookie dough must chill, so you can get started the day before if desired!
Ingredients
- 3 and 1/2 cups (438g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon ground ginger (yes, 1 full Tablespoon!)
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 10 Tablespoons (2/3 cup; 142g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2/3 cup (160ml; about 200g) Baker’s Corner Molassesย
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping & Filling
- 3 Tablespoons (23g) Baker’s Corner Confectioners’ Sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
- 2/3 cup (120g) Baker’s Corner Semi-Sweet Morsels
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the molasses and beat on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in egg and vanilla on high speed for 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. The butter may separateโthat’s ok.
- On low speed, slowly mix the dry ingredients into wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick and slightly sticky. Divide dough in half and place each onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Flatten into a 1-inch disc and wrap each up tightly. Chill discs for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough. I always chill mine overnight. If chilling for longer than 3 hours, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before rolling because the dough will be quite hard.
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (180ยฐC). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Remove 1 disc of chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. The dough may become sticky as you work, so keep extra flour nearby to use as needed. Alternatively, the dough may crack when rolling out. Wait a few minutes for it to soften back up. The more you work with it, the softer (and easier to work with) it will become. Roll out the disc until 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2.5-inch round or fluted cookie cutter, cut dough into circles. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with the second disc of dough. You should have about 60 circles.
- Using a smaller cookie cutter or 1-inchย fluted cookie cutter, cut a hole into the center of half of the circles. Letโs call these the โdonut cookiesโ because of that center hole.
- Arrange the whole circles and the donut cookies 2 inches apart and on separate baking sheets (because the donut cookies take 1 less minute to bake).
- Bake the whole circles for about 12-14 minutes, or until set around the edges, and bake the donut cookies for about 11 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through the bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer all of the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before assembling.
- Once cool, dust the โdonut cookiesโ with confectionersโ sugar.
- Make chocolate ganache: Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boilโ thatโs too hot!) Pour over chocolate chips, then let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. Very slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted. If itโs not melting, do not microwave it. Just continue to stir until smooth. Cool ganache for 10 minutes before using on the cookies. Ganache thickens as it cools and sets after a few hours.
- Spoon 1 teaspoon of ganache on the underside of each whole cookie. Carefully top each with a donut cookie and press down gently to create a cookie sandwich.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Baked cookies, before or after sandwiching, freeze well up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough discs (just the dough prepared through step 3) freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then continue with step 4. To make the ganache ahead of time, cover tightly and store ganache in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It will be thick after refrigerating, so warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave to make it spreadable again. Once ganache cools completely, you can cover it tightly and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin | 2.5-inch Cookie Cutter (Round or Fluted) | 1-inch Cookie Cutter (Shaped or Fluted) | Cooling Rack | Fine Mesh Sieve | Saucepan
Reader Comments and Reviews
I was wondering if I can roll out this dough like you do in your soft cut-out sugar cookies…roll it out right away and then refrigerate it?
Hi Lynn! This dough is softer than our sugar cookie dough, and would be too soft to roll out right away. It is best to roll this dough after chilling.