Description
These oatmeal sandwich cookies get a cozy gingerbread makeover — crunchy at the edges, tender inside, and sandwiched with a thick vanilla cream. Perfect for holiday baking or packing into little gift bags.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar (dark preferred; light works too)
- ¼ cup blackstrap molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
For the cream center
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups powdered (confectioners’) sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1–2 teaspoons milk, to loosen the filling
Instructions
- Beat the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the softened ½ cup butter and brown sugar together for about 1 minute until smooth and slightly fluffy. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla; beat another minute until the mixture looks even and glossy.
- Whisk the dry mix. Combine the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a separate bowl and whisk to distribute everything evenly.
- Bring dough together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in batches and mix on low speed just until everything comes together. Avoid overmixing.
- Chill the dough. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour. Chilling firms the dough and helps the cookies bake with a nice edge and soft center — this step matters, so don’t skip it.
- Preheat and portion. Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment. Scoop level tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll into balls. Place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.
- Bake. Bake 9–12 minutes depending on your preferred texture: about 9–10 minutes for softer centers, closer to 12 minutes for crispier edges. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for ~5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the cream filling. While cookies cool, make the filling: beat the ¾ cup softened butter with powdered sugar and vanilla. Start on low speed, then increase to high and beat until the frosting is silky. Add 1–2 teaspoons of milk as needed to reach a spreadable, creamy consistency.
- Assemble sandwiches. Place a generous spoonful (or pipe) of filling on the flat side of one cookie, leaving a small perimeter so the filling doesn’t squish out. Top with a matching cookie and press gently. Repeat until you’ve paired all cookies. Let the assembled sandwiches sit at room temperature for about 1 hour — this helps the filling firm up for cleaner bites.
Notes
- Quick tips & notes
- Use rolled oats, not steel-cut oats, for the right chew.
- Measure flour properly (spoon into the cup and level) to avoid dense cookies.
- If you prefer a softer center, remove cookies earlier; for crunchier edges, bake longer.
- The recipe makes roughly 15 sandwiches.
- Freezing & storage
- Store finished cookies in an airtight container at room temp for 1–2 days, then refrigerate up to 3–4 days.
- Freeze dough: Roll dough into balls, freeze on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen (add a minute or two to baking time).
- Freeze finished sandwiches: Flash-freeze assembled cookies on a sheet, then layer with parchment in a sealed container. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1sandwich cookie with filling
- Calories: 312cal
- Sugar: 26.2g
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 9.6g
- Carbohydrates: 46.8g
- Fiber: 0.9g
- Protein: 2.3g