Fall Perfect Chewy Pumpkin Ginger Sandwich Cookies

I am not a huge ginger person, but I LOVE these pumpkin ginger sandwich cookies!

They’re the epitome of fall. Chewy ginger, earthy clove and warming cinnamon spiced cookies combine with a luscious pumpkin cream cheese filling to yield the ultimate cozy fall treat. There’s even a little white chocolate drizzle to top them all off. This definitely helps with the fancy factor if you were planning on serving them for Thanksgiving!

These cookies are the perfect blend of comfort and nostalgia all in one bite. Even the smell these cookies make while baking is mouth-watering.

I know I say that these cookies are perfect for fall – which they are – but they would be great for Christmas too! The warming spices and flavours transition beautifully into the holiday season. They’d make a great addition to your holiday dessert spread or a cookie swap at the office. You could even include them alongside these sea salt & brown butter cookies in a cookie gift box.

How These Cookies were Created

To be completely honest, these pumpkin ginger sandwich cookies came about by accident.

I found myself with some leftover pumpkin icing after making cupcakes for a friend. Instead of eating it straight from the piping bag (like I would normally do) I decided that it would be the perfect filling for a sandwich cookie.

Originally, I thought that I would use an oatmeal cookie (which would probably be delicious as well). BUT, when I opened my Bobbette and Belle cookbook and flipped to the ginger cookie recipe, I decided to go down a different path. Usually when I think of ginger cookies, I think of bland, hard gingerbread people. I had a feeling that this recipe could change my mind and wow did it deliver.

Cookie Ingredients

These cookies have molasses in them which automatically conjures images of warm holiday baking for me – so make sure not to skip this crucial ingredient! Also make sure that you’re using the fancy grade of molasses and not black strap molasses. I’m not entirely sure what black strap molasses is, but it does not sound good to me.

There’s a little bit of wiggle room for the spices if you don’t have the exact amount of one of the spices listed, but I’d try to stick as close to my amounts as possible. I’ve found that this yields a cookie that has a good balance of all the spices without one overpowering any others.

These cookies are coated in a layer of granulated sugar which isn’t completely necessary, but I do like how it gives them a little bit of sparkle. It’s perfect for a more festive feel on your Thanksgiving or Christmas tables!

Icing Ingredients

For the pumpkin puree you’re going to want to make sure that you use pure pureed pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. If all you have is pumpkin pie filling I would cut down on the sugar and spices since it already comes with those ingredients. It’s possible you’ll want to add a little additional spice so always make sure you’re tasting along the way!

It’s also very important to make sure that you squeeze the excess water out of your pumpkin puree! You want to really concentrate the pumpkin flavour and it has a TON of water in it. What you’ll want to do is place the pumpkin in cheesecloth and wring the cheesecloth out until your pumpkin looks almost dry. If you don’t have cheesecloth you can use a fine mesh strainer and a spatula. Squeeze the pumpkin for longer than you think you need to as we want as little water as possible. If you don’t squeeze out enough of the water, your icing will come out looking grainy and separated.

For the white chocolate drizzle, I’d highly recommend finding the best white chocolate that you can. It just tastes so much better! Plus, you won’t be using a lot of it so it shouldn’t be too expensive. White chocolate molding wafers are an option though if that’s what you have on hand.

Tips on Making the Cookies

To make these cookies, try to ensure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature so that they combine properly. I’m notorious for forgetting to take my eggs out of the fridge, so if you’re in the same boat I’ve got a hot tip for you. Place your eggs in warm water for a few minutes to bring them to room temperature before adding! It’s super easy and quick.

You’re going to make these cookies similarly to how you’d make a basic chocolate chip cookie. The main difference is the addition of the molasses which makes the dough slightly stickier.

Also make sure you plan for the time that the dough needs to chill. This is crucial because if you don’t chill the dough your cookies will end up in large flat puddles on your baking sheet which we definitely don’t want!

My cookies came out slightly domed on the top. Since I was turning them into sandwich cookies I wanted to make sure they were flat. To do this, just take the bottom of a metal measuring cup and gently flatten them out as soon as they come out of the oven.

Tips on Making the Icing

This icing is also similar to a standard buttercream icing, aside from the cream cheese and pumpkin. The cream cheese you can just throw in with the butter and whip it up no problem.

I make my icing by whipping the cream cheese and butter till light and fluffy. Then, making sure that the mixer is on low speed I add the icing sugar in 3 increments. Once that’s all added it’s time for another 3-5 minute whip on high speed.

At this point, you’ll want to add your pumpkin puree. The pumpkin is a slightly volatile ingredient so you want to make sure that you don’t over mix the pumpkin. If you’re more comfortable adding the pumpkin by hand then by all means, do that!

Piping the Icing & White Chocolate

As a trained pastry chef, I find it easiest to use a piping bag to pipe the icing into these cookies. I used a star tip because I like the texture that it gives when viewing the cookies from the side. If you don’t have a piping bag you can always use a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off.

I’d recommend piping the icing in a spiral instead of just adding a large dollop of icing to the cookie. This ensures that the icing is more evenly distributed. It also ensures that your top cookie will lay flat and won’t look crooked.

For the white chocolate drizzle you can use the same Ziploc method as the icing. If you have a piping bag with a #1 or #2 round tip that’s an option as well.

However, I find a piping bag a bit cumbersome for piping the white chocolate as it’s such a small amount. I made a paper cone out of parchment paper and cut a small bit off the tip to drizzle the white chocolate on. This is a pastry school trick and is great for applications like this where you only have a small amount of chocolate or icing to drizzle. If that’s confusing to you at all, you can find out how to make one here.