Gingerbread Caramel Cookie Sandwiches
Soft, spiced gingerbread cookies filled with a dreamy caramel buttercream and homemade caramel sauce!
Servings 9 Cookie Sandwich
Ingredients
For the Caramel Sauce (Do First):
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter added to the caramel at the end
For the cookies:
- 1 stick ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 –¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch of kosher salt
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
- ½ cup salted caramel recipe above
Instructions
For the Caramel Sauce:
- In a medium saucepan, stir together the water, sugar, and corn syrup.
- Heat over medium until it begins to boil. Once boiling, do not stir to avoid crystallization.
- Continue boiling until the mixture turns golden brown. Be cautious as it can burn quickly.
- Meanwhile, microwave the heavy cream for 1 minute to warm it.
- Once the caramel reaches a golden color, remove from heat and slowly add the warm cream while whisking constantly.
- Stir in the vanilla extract, salt, and butter until fully combined.
- Transfer the caramel to a bowl and let it cool.
For the cookies
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula halfway through.
- Add the egg and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Then mix in the vanilla extract, molasses, and water on low speed until evenly combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just incorporated. Ensure there are no flour streaks, but do not overmix.
- Scoop the dough into balls using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop. Arrange the balls on a lined baking sheet or plate, ensuring they don’t touch, and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
- While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Once chilled, place 9 dough balls on each prepared cookie sheet, spacing them 2-3 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake the cookies for 11 minutes, or until the edges are set. Once they are hot and out of the oven, use a flat surface and gently press each one so they are flat! Let them cool completely on the baking sheets before assembling.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for about 2 minutes until creamy and smooth.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then beat for another 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar. Once combined, add the cooled caramel sauce, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
- Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 3-5 minutes until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Assembly
- Ensure the cookies are completely cooled before assembling.
- Pipe a thick rim of cream cheese frosting around the edges of half of the cookies to create a well for the caramel. Be sure the rim is sturdy enough to hold the caramel but not overly thick.
- Fill the frosting well with caramel sauce.
- Top each frosted cookie with an unfrosted cookie and gently press them together to create sandwich cookies. I added melted white chocolate on top for fun, but not necessary!
- Serve and enjoy!