Chef notes
Gingerbread cookies bring back the nostalgia of holiday baking with my grandmother. This soft and chewy cookie is a departure from the traditional crispy cookie used to make little houses this time of year and my chai-spiced filling truly takes this dessert to the next level.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Preparation
Make the cookies:
1.Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2.In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until well combined.
3.In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
4.Add the honey and eggs and mix until well incorporated.
5.Slowly add dry ingredients, mixing until well incorporated and dough forms.
6.Transfer the dough to parchment paper and lightly knead to form a ball; do not overwork.
7.Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
8.Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to ½-inch thickness.
9.Using a 4-inch by 2¼-inch pine cone template, cut out 24 cookies.
10.Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, create cone scales on half the cookies (these will be the sandwich toppers), overlapping the pattern.
11.Bake on parchment-lined sheet trays until the edges are firm, about 10 minutes.
12.Cool cookies on the sheet trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack; cool completely.
13.While the cookies cool, make the frosting. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese and butter until smooth, for 2 to 3 minutes.
14.Add the vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and salt and mix until well incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
15.Add the powdered sugar and mix, on medium speed, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl, as needed, until smooth and fluffy.
16.Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with an open star tip.
17.To assemble, pipe approximately 1-ounce (2 tablespoons) of the frosting over the undecorated base cookies.
18.Top each half with a second cookie, pattern-side-up, gently pressing to create a sandwich.
