Gingersnaps With Orange-Ginger Cream Filling Recipe

Directions:

1. TO MAKE THE COOKIES:.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add molasses, egg, and vanilla, and beat at medium-high until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
5. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture and mix until well combined.
6. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F
8. Place remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a shallow bowl.
9. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar to coat.
10. Arrange about 2 inches apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets.
11. Using the bottom of a glass that has been lightly greased, then dipped in sugar, flatten dough into 1/4-inch-thick disks.
12. Bake 13 to 15 minutes, or until firm.
13. Remove from oven and immediately transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
14. TO MAKE THE FILLING:.
15. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients; mix until smooth, adding more powdered sugar as needed (filling should have consistency of very thick frosting).
16. With a small spatula, frost bottoms of half the cookies (about 1teaspoon filling each); top with remaining cookies (so bottom sides are together) to make sandwich cookies.
17. *The fresh ginger should be peeled unless otherwise noted. To grate fresh ginger, use a microplane grater or a triangular ginger grater, which will catch unwanted ginger fibers in its teeth, leaving behind a juicy, concentrated pulp.