Heather is a baker with a passion for creating elevated, yet easy-to-follow dessert recipes. Her background in photography and videography, paired with an insatiable sweet tooth, led to early success on social media with engaging videos of her decadent creations. As a recipe developer, she pairs traditional bakes with novel flavor combinations, and brings them to life through artful visuals. Follow along to find something sweet at @youthsweets on Instagram and TikTok and youthsweets.com.
a little bit about the recipe
Chewy molasses cookies flavored with gingerbread spice with an almond filling and almond glaze.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
stand mixer or hand beaters, mixing bowls, rubber spatula, sheet pan, parchment paper or silicone baking mat, whisk, plastic wrap, cookie scoop, oven, cooling rack
ACTIVE: 35m
INACTIVE: 15m
TOTAL: 50m
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directions
For the Almond Paste Filling
Do ahead
The almond paste filling and cookie dough can be made a day or two ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Both need to chill for at least 1 hour.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Make the almond paste
In a medium bowl, combine the granulated sugar and butter. I like to do this with gloved hands for speed, but a spatula will work too. Add the almond flour and lemon zest and stir. Add the egg and almond extract. Knead with your hands until a dough forms. Form into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Let refrigerate until needed, at least one hour.
For the Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a medium bowl with beaters, cream together the butter and sugar, about 3 minutes. The mixture should be lighter in color and fluffy.
Add the egg, molasses and almond extract, beating to combine.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, kosher salt and gingerbread spice blend. Add the whisked dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined.
Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator to let the dough chill for at least 1 hour.
For the Glaze and Garnish
Bake
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Slice or scoop 1 teaspoon portions off the almond paste log. Flatten them and set them aside.
Scoop out the cookie dough with a 1 oz cookie scoop (2 tbsp capacity) into balls. Break apart each ball into two equal portions and flatten them with your hands or between plastic. Place one portion of the almond filling atop a portion of cookie dough. Top with the other portion, seal the edges and roll between your hands to smooth the puck.
Place 8 cookie dough pucks on the prepared baking sheet, spaced two inches apart and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Make the glaze
In a small bowl add the powdered sugar, cream (or milk or water) and almond extract. Whisk and add more liquid as needed to get your desired consistency.
Pipe or spoon over the cooled cookies and garnish with sliced almonds.
expiry
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.
