Ginger Creme Sandwich Cookies

Cody took Brayden fishing. He actually did it. The fishing rod from Christmas, the book from Half Price Books, a Sunday morning at Keystone Lake. Cody called me the night before, nervous. "What if I can't catch anything?" I said, "Brayden doesn't care about catching fish. Brayden cares that you showed up." He said, "What if the hook scares him?" I said, "The kid is seven and afraid of nothing." He said, "What if I mess up?" I said, "Cody, you bought a book. You read the book. You showed up with a rod. That's not messing up. That's fathering. That's uncling. Go catch a fish."

They caught nothing. Not a single fish. Four hours at Keystone Lake, two rods, a tackle box Cody bought at Walmart, and zero fish. But Brayden came home sunburned and ecstatic. "Uncle Cody took me FISHING," he announced, as if fishing were a trip to the moon. "We sat on a rock and we put worms on hooks and we threw the line in the water and Uncle Cody told me about when he was a kid and we ate peanut butter sandwiches and it was the BEST DAY."

Cody called me that evening. He said, "We didn't catch anything." I said, "I heard. Brayden said it was the best day." He was quiet. Then he said, "I told him about the tornado." He said, "Not the bad parts. The part where I held your hand." He said, "I told him that's what family does — we hold on." He said, "He said, 'Uncle Cody, can we go again next Sunday?'" He said, "I said yes." He said, "I said yes, Kay." My brother, seven years sober, sitting on a rock with his nephew, telling tornado stories and catching no fish and saying yes to next Sunday. The fishing book worked. Not for the fish. For the showing up. The showing up was always the point.

Brayden asked me what Uncle Cody’s favorite snack was, and I told him peanut butter sandwiches—but on the day Cody called me glowing about that fishing trip, I wanted to bake something a little more celebratory than bread and a jar. These Ginger Creme Sandwich Cookies felt exactly right: soft, a little spiced, sweet in the middle, the kind of thing you wrap in wax paper and tuck into a bag without overthinking it. Something you could eat on a rock at Keystone Lake, or at a kitchen table while someone tells you they said yes to next Sunday.

Prep Time: 20 min | Chill Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 24 sandwich cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup for rolling
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Creme Filling:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1–2 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions

Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat softened butter and 1 cup granulated sugar with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
Add wet ingredients. Beat in the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Combine and chill. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until a soft dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl.
Shape the cookies. Scoop dough into 1-inch balls (about 1 tbsp each). Roll each ball in the granulated sugar and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are just set and the tops begin to crack. Do not overbake—they should be soft in the center. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the creme filling. Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating on low until incorporated, then increase to medium-high and beat until creamy. Add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until the filling is spreadable but holds its shape.
Assemble. Match cookies into pairs of similar size. Spread or pipe about 1 1/2 tsp of creme filling onto the flat side of one cookie, then press the second cookie gently on top. Repeat with remaining cookies.
Serve or store. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving for the softest texture.

Nutrition (per serving)

Ginger Creme Sandwich Cookies — Sweet Enough for the Best Day