These chocolate gingerbread sandwich cookies put a spin on classic gingerbread, combining it with a rich, creamy chocolate ganache filling. They are easy to whip up with basic storecupboard ingredients and make a truly moreish addition to any festive cookie platter.
Chocolate works surprisingly well with gingerbread, and the warm, bold spices of a classic gingerbread cookie perfectly complement a decadent, velvety dark chocolate ganache filling.
I used my regular vegan gingerbread biscuits as a base, upping the quantity of treacle to golden syrup slightly for a richer, less sweet flavour; and then filled them with an easy vegan chocolate ganche, made with soya milk and butter rather than cream so there's no need to buy any vegan cream for these either!
Ingredient Details:
Treacle: I use black treacle but molasses will also work.
Golden Syrup: If you weren't already aware then golden syrup is vegan friendly! Lyle's is the most well known brand, but supermarket own is absolutely fine and is what I use. See below for details.
Spices: A mixture of ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and allspice creates that classic gingerbread flavour.
Plain flour: Just regular plain (all-purpose) flour is best here. I haven't tried making these gluten-free.
Vegan butter: You need to use a block butter/margarine to make these cookies, not the spreadable kind in a tub.
Non-dairy milk: Non-dairy milk replaces the moisture that would usually come from egg. You can use any kind you like except coconut milk, but I recommend using soy milk if possible. It has the highest protein content so is the closest swap for egg.
Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda): Just a touch to give the cookies a bit of rise and a chewy texture.
Brown sugar: I use light brown but dark will also work, I don't recommend swapping it for any other kind of sugar or sweetener.
Dark Chocolate: I use 66% dark chocolate. Don't use anything with a higher cocoa percentage than that or it can make the ganache more likely to split. I recommend using couverture drops or baking chocolate if possible.
How To Make Chocolate Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
- Step 1: Place the butter, sugar, golden syrup, treacle and milk in a pan, heat gently until just melted.
- Step 2: Whisk in the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, baking soda and a pinch of salt, then stir in the flour.
- Step 3: Wrap the dough in baking paper or clingfilm and refrigerate for a couple of hours until firm.
- Step 4: Roll the dough out on a floured surface or between two sheet of baking paper to 5-6mm thick. Cut out rounds with a 6-7cm round cutter. Use a small cookie cutter to cut out a hole from the centre of half of the rounds.
- Step 5: Place them spaced apart on a couple of baking sheets and bake for 10-15 minutes.
- Step 6: To make the ganche, heat the milk and butter until hot but not boiling, pour it over the chopped chocolate and stir until melted.
- Step 7: Dust the cookies that have a hole in with icing sugar.
- Step 8: Spoon a teaspoon of ganache on the underside of each whole cookie, spreading it out slightly but not all the way to the edge. Carefully top each with a cut out cookie and press down gently.
Top Tips:
Use a scale! As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
Tablespoon and teaspoon measurements are for proper measuring spoons, NOT regular kitchen spoons. A Tablespoon is 15ml and a teaspoon is 5ml and they should be level, not heaped.
The difference between soft gingerbread and crunchy gingerbread is merely how long you bake it for. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes if you want them soft, or for 15 if you want them to have a firmer texture. You may wish to bake a few test cookies to figure out exactly how long to bake them for for your desired texture.
It is not strictly necessary to chill the cookies before baking, but it does help them keep their shape.
Cool completely before filling: If the cookies are even slightly warm, your chocolate ganache will melt and slide right off. Let them cool on a wire rack until they are completely cold to the touch.
I use soya milk and vegan butter to make the ganache, but you can use vegan double/whipping cream instead. Replace both the milk and butter with cream, so a total of 120g cream.
If the ganache becomes too thick before you have finished filling the cookies, place the bowl over a pan of steaming hot water and stir until it has melted again. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water, you don't want to let it get too hot or it may split.
Instead of the ganache filling you could use buttercream, lemon curd, jam, biscoff or chocolate spread.
FAQ's:
Golden syrup is a very common baking ingredient in the UK; it has a buttery caramel flavour and the texture of honey, but is vegan friendly. It can be tricky to get hold of elsewhere, though apparently lots of stores in the US have it in the foreign foods section or you can get in online. You can also try making your own!
There isn't really a good substitute for it as it is very unique, but if you aren't able to get hold of any and don't want to make your own then you can swap it for light molasses instead (not blackstrap!).
Ganache may seem very simple but it can actually be quite tricky. If it gets slightly too hot or if the balance of fat to liquid isn't quite right then it can split into a greasy, oily mess. I find some brands of chocolate are more likely to split than others, I recommend using couverture drops or baking chocolate with a cocoa percentage no higher than 66%, ideally not more than 60% if possible.
The good news is that if it does split it is very easy to fix!
All you have to do is gradually stir in hot water or hot milk, a teaspoon at a time, until the ganache becomes smooth again.
The dough will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days (make sure it is well wrapped to avoid it drying out). It may need to sit out at room temperature for half an hour before rolling if it has become too firm.
I wouldn't recommend freezing the baked cookies but the unbaked cookies can be frozen. Cut out the cookies and freeze them in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-proof container. The cookies can be baked straight from the freezer, no need to defrost them first, they just may need an extra minute in the oven.
Because of the ganache filling these cookies won't keep for a long time, about 2 days in an airtight container at cool room temperature, or 5 days in the fridge.
Un-filled, the gingerbread cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.
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Chocolate Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies (vegan)
Ingredients
Gingerbread:
- 150 g (½ cup + 2 Tablespoons) vegan block butter
- 120 g (⅔ cup) light brown soft sugar
- 75 g (3 ½ Tablespoons) golden syrup (or light molasses)
- 75 g (3 ½ Tablespoons) black treacle or molasses
- 15 g (1 Tablespoon) non dairy milk
- 3 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 3 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 380 g (3 cups + 2 Tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
Ganache:
- 120 g (⅔ cup) dark (semi-sweet) baking chocolate or couverture callets finely chopped
- 100 g (7 Tablespoons) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 20 g (4 teaspoons) vegan block butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- icing (powdered) sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Place the butter, sugar, golden syrup, treacle and milk in a medium saucepan over a low heat and stir until just melted, do not let it get too hot. Remove from the heat.150 g (½ cup + 2 Tablespoons) vegan block butter, 120 g (⅔ cup) light brown soft sugar, 75 g (3 ½ Tablespoons) golden syrup, 75 g (3 ½ Tablespoons) black treacle or molasses, 15 g (1 Tablespoon) non dairy milk
- Add the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt and whisk until smooth.3 ½ teaspoons ground ginger, 3 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, ¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined and no dry patches of flour remain. Wrap the dough in baking paper or clingfilm and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours until it is firm enough to roll out.380 g (3 cups + 2 Tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Roll the dough out either on a floured surface or between two sheets of baking parchment to 5-6mm (¼ in) thick. If the dough has become too firm to roll, let it sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes first. The dough may become sticky as you roll so dust with flour if needed. Alternatively if it is too cold it may crack, if this happens let it sit for a few minutes to warm up.
- Use a 6-7cm (2 ½ in) round cookie cutter to cut out as many rounds as possible. Use a small cutter to cut out a hole from the centre of half of the rounds. Bring the scraps together and re-roll to cut out more biscuits.
- Arrange the rounds spaced apart on 2-3 lined baking sheets. Place them in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes, depending on whether you want them very soft or slightly crunchy. They should be set around the edges but still soft in the middle.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
- To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate or callets in a heatproof bowl. Heat the milk and butter together until almost but not quite simmering, do not let it come to the boil.120 g (⅔ cup) dark (semi-sweet) baking chocolate or couverture callets, 100 g (7 Tablespoons) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy), 20 g (4 teaspoons) vegan block butter
- Pour the milk mixture over the chocolate and leave it to sit for 5 minutes then stir until melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Dust the cookies that have a hole in with icing sugar.icing (powdered) sugar
- Spoon a generous teaspoon of ganache on the underside of each whole cookie, spreading it out slightly but not all the way to the edge. Carefully top each with a cut out cookie and press down gently.
- Allow to set before serving. Store in a covered container in the fridge.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details, storage instructions and step-by-step photos.
- As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- If the ganache becomes too thick before you have finished filling the cookies, place the bowl over a pan of steaming hot water and stir until it has melted again. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water, you don't want to let it get too hot or it may split.
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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