Cookie Butter-Stuffed Gingersnaps

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• •Two rimmed baking sheets
• •Parchment paper
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Teaspoon measure for portioning cookie butter

Instructions

1. 1

   Freeze the cookie butter centers

   Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a teaspoon measure, scoop 24 rounded teaspoons of cookie butter onto the parchment, spacing them apart. Freeze until completely solid, at least 2 hours or overnight. These need to be frozen hard as marbles, or they'll ooze out during baking.

   Stir the cookie butter well before portioning. The oils can separate, and you want consistent centers.
2. 2

   Combine the dry ingredients

   Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. The pepper isn't detectable as heat in the finished cookie, but it amplifies the ginger and adds complexity. Don't skip it.

3. 3

   Cream butter and sugar

   In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides halfway through. The mixture should look pale and creamy, almost mousse-like. This is where your texture is built.

4. 4

   Add wet ingredients

   Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla to the butter mixture. Beat on medium speed until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. The batter will look slightly curdled and glossy from the molasses. This is correct. Don't panic.

5. 5

   Build the dough

   Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two additions, mixing on low speed just until no flour streaks remain. The dough will be soft and sticky. Resist the urge to add more flour. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.

   Overnight chilling develops flavor and makes the dough much easier to work with. Plan ahead if you can.
6. 6

   Assemble the cookies

   Remove the dough from the refrigerator and the cookie butter balls from the freezer. Work quickly. Portion the dough into 24 pieces, roughly 2 tablespoons each. Flatten a piece of dough in your palm, place a frozen cookie butter ball in the center, and wrap the dough completely around it, sealing any cracks. Roll between your palms to form a smooth ball. The filling should be entirely hidden.

7. 7

   Roll in sugar

   Pour the granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. Roll each assembled ball in the sugar until completely coated, then place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. These spread considerably. Twelve cookies per standard sheet is the maximum. Refrigerate the assembled cookies for 15 minutes while the oven heats.

8. 8

   Bake until crackled

   Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for 12 to 14 minutes. The cookies will puff dramatically, then collapse and crack across the surface. The edges should look set and matte while the centers still appear slightly underdone. They'll firm as they cool. Pull them early rather than late.

9. 9

   Cool completely

   Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 full minutes. They're too fragile to move before this. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The snap develops as they cool. Eaten warm, you get soft cookies with molten centers. Eaten cooled, you get the proper shatter and the creamy filling. Both are valid. The choice is yours.

Chef Tips

• •Use creamy Biscoff spread, not the crunchy variety. The crunchy version contains cookie pieces that interfere with freezing and create weak spots where filling can leak.
• •Fresh spices matter enormously here. If your ground ginger has been in the pantry for two years, it tastes like cardboard. Buy new. The investment is minimal and the difference is immediate.
• •For extra-crackled tops, remove the cookies from the oven when they still look slightly raw in the center. They'll continue cooking on the hot sheet and develop more dramatic fissures.
• •These cookies travel beautifully for gifting. Layer between parchment in a tin. They keep their snap for 5 days at room temperature if stored airtight.

Advance Preparation

• •Cookie butter balls can be frozen up to 2 weeks ahead. Keep frozen until ready to assemble.
• •Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, improving in flavor and workability.
• •Assembled, unbaked cookies can be frozen on a sheet, then transferred to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding 2 minutes to the bake time.
• •Baked cookies keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Do not refrigerate, as moisture softens the snap.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 47g)