Gingersnap-Raspberry Sandwiches from Martha Stewart's Cookies

As promised, today's recipe was made on the same day that I posted "Pumpkin Pie Custard Ice Cream".  After I made the ice cream, I tried to figure out what would complement the wonderful taste of pumpkin.  Then it hit me-- gingersnaps! I've never made gingersnaps before, so I did a little research on the internet. Then I remembered that I have made only one recipe from Martha Stewart's Cookie's cookbook that I bought in early August.  

I think I bake less than I cook, only because I don't want to break my bathroom scale. I'm a sweetaholic.  Yes, I am. It's hard for me to give away what I bake. In fact, it pains me. I want to eat it all. Truth be told,  I do (eventually) give it away, though. That's what tall, skinny 21 year old boys are for-- that would be my son. He also inherited my sweet tooth.  My husband has one, too. Though, he won't admit it. Enough, already! I've tried to absolve myself but it's time to get to the recipe.

I did make these Martha Stewart  Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies, which I thought were good-- not fantastic, over the charts good...but, still, it was a nice cookie.  This time, I honed in on the Gingersnap-Raspberry Sandwich recipe in the book. I always have pure maple syrup on hand (I never buy pancake syrup) and I like that this was included as a  flavor addition to the cookie batter.  Here's how they are made:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, shortening, and 1 cup sugar on medium speed.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger.

 

Add maple syrup to butter mixture; beat to combine.

Beat in egg until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low; slowly add the reserved flour mixture, a little at a time, until well blended.

Place remaining cup sugar in a bowl. Measure 2 teaspoons dough; roll into a ball.

 
Roll dough in sugar; transfer to a parchment paper covered sheet (or a Silpat). Lately, I find that I like to bake cookies on parchment paper, though I do own a few Silpat's. Your choice...

Repeat, spacing balls 3 inches apart. (Ignore the lopsided, conehead ball in front. You might hurt it's feelings.)

Bake until golden, about 12 minutes.

Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.  They do deflate a bit, thank goodness! Form and bake the remaining dough.

 Yes, there's a mouse who steals cookie bites... I plead the fifth. Maybe.

Personally, I loved the gooey middle, while the cookie was still warm, and the outside was crisp. The ginger flavor was just right-- not too overpowering. Please don't look at my kitchen counter grout. Please.I dream of a granite kitchen counter. When I win the lottery, I shall have one.

Ginger and Pumpkin are meant to be together-- kinda like Ginger and Astaire.

 If you don't get my analogy,  you're way too young. What a pair!

In a moment of pure sugar gluttony, I made an ice cream sandwich with my homemade pumpkin custard ice cream and two ginger cookies. Yes, this is meant to be. So where's the photo? I was too busy eating. Sorry.

The next day, though, I wanted to try a combination of raspberry jam and ginger cookies. Fortunately, this summer I made 12 half-pints of homemade reduced-seed raspberry jam. Did I blog about it. No, sorry. I figured that if I blogged on how to make raspberry jam, now that the season is over (except for where I live) you might want to cry. Here's a sample of it, though:

It's so good. I have made a solemn vow,  that I will never buy commercial jam ever again. I removed a LOT of seeds with a food mill, by the way. It worked great...but that's another blog post, yet to come...in the spring. You'll have to wait.

Spread about 2 teaspoons jam over half of the cookies; place a second cookie on top of jam-covered ones, making sandwiches. NOTE: My cookies didn't bake completely flat. Maybe I made the size of the dough balls to big? Maybe there should be more shortening ratio to the butter?

A freshly brewed cup of hot tea seemed to be what would round this cookie off to perfection. I'm in-love with a new flavor combo! Raspberry jam and ginger are equally amazing. Oh! This is a good cookie sandwich. The next day, the cookie was a little on the soft side.

While these gingersnaps aren't quite  the crispy consistency I am looking for to making a gingersnap crust (for baking), these cookies are easy to make.

With or without raspberry jam... I would make these again. I might even try Nutella as a filling. Yes? Yes, this recipe is an excellent  version of gingersnaps, indeed. Don't forget the tea. It's the perfect combo.  Keep scrolling down to find a printable recipe to make these cookies.

Enjoy!