Gingersnaps With Orange-Ginger Cream Filling - cooking recipe

Ingredients

GINGERSNAP COOKIES
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (1 to 1/2 sticks)
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
FILLING
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon orange juice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, plus more as needed

Preparation

TO MAKE THE COOKIES:
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add molasses, egg, and vanilla, and beat at medium-high until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture and mix until well combined.
Cover and chill at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.
Preheat oven to 350\u00b0F
Place remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a shallow bowl.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar to coat.
Arrange about 2 inches apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets.
Using the bottom of a glass that has been lightly greased, then dipped in sugar, flatten dough into 1/4-inch-thick disks.
Bake 13 to 15 minutes, or until firm.
Remove from oven and immediately transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
TO MAKE THE FILLING:
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients; mix until smooth, adding more powdered sugar as needed (filling should have consistency of very thick frosting).
With a small spatula, frost bottoms of half the cookies (about 1teaspoon filling each); top with remaining cookies (so bottom sides are together) to make sandwich cookies.
*The fresh ginger should be peeled unless otherwise noted. To grate fresh ginger, use a microplane grater or a triangular ginger grater, which will catch unwanted ginger fibers in its teeth, leaving behind a juicy, concentrated pulp.