Gingerbread Button Cookies
These Gingerbread Button Cookies are a fun way to add a twist to the holiday cookie tray!
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I can’t sew. It’s a little embarrassing, but I actually save up my sewing projects for when I either visit my Mom down in Nashville or when she makes a trip up north to visit us. My Mom comes into town, and I hand her 2 shorts with missing buttons and a pair of jeans that needs hemming. I’m a short guy (5’8″ or so on a tall day), and that means my pants always need hemming. Always.
Whenever I try on new pants at the store, I don’t even pay attention to the length. I just resign myself that I’ll either need my Mom’s help, or I’ll need to take them to a tailor. I just call it an extra tax on short people! And then there was that time when my mother visited and decided to help us hang sheer curtains in our living room. She actually took the curtains back home to her sewing machine and then mailed them back to us. I can’t imagine what we’d have done without her. Actually, we just wouldn’t have curtains.
As incompetent as I am at real sewing, I can in fact “sew” these Gingerbread Button Cookies. I mean it’s a piping bag filled with frosting. If you can make a straight line, then you can sew these cookies! And I can make a straight line…on most days.
How fun are these Gingerbread Button Cookies? I came across this idea a few months back when we stopped at a bakery while on vacation in Maryland. They had a whole batch of sugar cookies in fun colors, and each cookie was piped (i.e. “sewn”) on top. We promptly polished off a couple of these cookies, and I filed the idea away for a later date.
I absolutely love gingerbread cookies. I make a batch during the holidays every year, and “leave them for Santa.” Laura actually doesn’t like gingerbread that much, so that just means more for me! But as I was making a batch of gingerbread cookies the other day, I realized that gingerbread would work really well for button cookies. And that’s how these Gingerbread Button Cookies came to be.
Gingerbread Button Cookies
Gingerbread Button CookiesFor these Gingerbread Button Cookies, you need a dough that doesn’t expand too much while baking. The “button holes” are cut before the cookies are baked. If the cookies expanded too much in the oven, then those holes would disappear. An extra trick I used while making these Gingerbread Button Cookies was to refrigerate the cookies for at least an hour before baking. Since the dough is cold when it goes into the oven, it helps ensure that these cookies don’t spread too much. (You’ll also need to refrigerate the dough before rolling it out, but that’s just because of the molasses. Molasses is sticky. So cookie dough with molasses in it is also sticky. But you can overcome that problem by refrigerating that dough and using plenty of flour when rolling it out.)
From there, you can get creative with the “sewing.” I turned these Gingerbread Button Cookies into sandwich cookies, but you could also just keep them as a single layer. No matter which way you go, these cookies are a fun addition to the holiday cookie tray! Enjoy! Oh, and if you make a batch of these cookies, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog)!
Do you love gingerbread as much as I do? Check out some of these other gingerbread recipes:
Gingerbread Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting (so good!)
Overnight Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
Gluten Free Gingerbread Pound Cake
Gingerbread Button Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 4 oz. unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup molasses
For the Filling
- 8 oz. unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp milk or heavy cream
- 3½-4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Using a medium bowl, add flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, salt and nutmeg; mix until well combined. Set aside.
- Using a countertop or electric mixer, add butter, brown sugar and molasses. Beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, or until well combined. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until fully combined. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until fully combined.
- Divide dough into two pieces and press into discs. Cover each disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Note: Dough can be refrigerated overnight at this stage.)
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- Transfer dough to a well-floured countertop; roll each piece of dough to ¼" thickness. Using a 2” round cookie cutter, cut dough into circles transfer to baking sheets. Carefully re-roll scraps of dough together and continue until all dough has been used. (Tip: Use plenty of flour on the work surface and rolling pin to keep dough from sticking.)
- For half of the cookies, take a smaller round cookie cutter and gently press into the top of the dough. Take care to not press all the way through the dough. (See photo in post for example.) Using a plastic straw, cut four small holes in the middle of each of those cookies. (Note: The other half of the cookies will be the bottoms, so they can remain as plain circles.)
- Refrigerate cookies for at least 60 minutes. (Note: This helps ensure the cookies don’t spread too much while baking.)
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned on the edges; set cookies aside until fully cooled.
For the Filling
- Using a medium bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add vanilla extract, milk/cream and powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until frosting is thick enough to frost a cookie.
- Using an offset spatula, frost each of the bottom cookies (i.e. the ones without button holes) with ~½ tablespoon of frosting. Place top cookie on top. Repeat until all cookies have been used.
- Using a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, “sew” lines on top of the cookies. Let frosting dry before serving.
Ahh, I like them! Clever idea, and you can never go wrong with sandwich cookies. My sewing skills have never been as proficient as my mothers. I’m amazing I actually got that badge at cubs!
Hmmm…I don’t remember the sewing badge, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say I didn’t get it. I can’t even put a button back on a pair of pants. But I can make cookies that look like buttons…that counts, right? Haha! Thanks so much, Matt!
These are almost too cute to eat! But only almost–I’d be able to find a way because I love gingerbread :). You’re so lucky your mom sews. My mom often gives me things she needs sewn, although I refuse to do hems in clothing because I’m so afraid of messing them up without my grandma to supervise. Have a great week, David!
I absolutely love gingerbread, too, Kelsie! Laura likes gingerbread, but she doesn’t love it…and that’s ok by me since it just means more for me (and Robbie). 🙂 And as far as sewing, don’t be surprised when random packages of clothes missing buttons start showing up at your door. Haha!
Hahahaha – I got a good kick out of “extra tax on short people” Oh boy! I am very very well acquainted with that tax! I can sew a little bit – enough to be dangerous – but that won’t stop me from offering to help your mom sew Spiced clan buttons on in exchange for some of these cookies! Wait – these cookies are being offered up right? 🙂
So love ginger cookies and these are adorable – first time Im seeing button ginger cookies – too cool, my friend!
Oh, be careful what you offer, Shashi! I will absolutely take you up on the sewing deal in exchange for cookies. I can’t sew worth a darned, but I can make dozens and dozens of cookies in no time flat! I love gingerbread cookies, and this is the time of the year to munch away on ’em. Cheers! 🙂
David, those are really cute ginger sandwich cookies. You outdid yourself. My mom did all of my brothers sewing but they were living in the same village in Germany. My own sewing skills are very limited. Have a great week.
Why thank you very much, Gerlinde! I had a lot of fun making these cookies, too. (And of course they were fun to eat.) I hear ya on limited sewing skills. I don’t think I should be allowed near needles and thread. Cookies on the other hand? I’ve got those covered! 🙂 Hope you have a great week ahead, too, my friend!
David, I love gingerbread, too! I don’t think I liked it much as a kid, but now I have hard time passing it up. So festive! And these buttons are adorable, I love the way you “sewed” them. Consider yourself a tailor, for sure!
Hah! I had a blast ‘sewing’ these cookies, but I’d better be careful calling myself a tailor. I wouldn’t even know where to begin with a needle and thread! But I can polish off a tray of these button cookies in no time flat. Thanks so much, my friend!
Tell me about hemming, David! I’ve just tried a few (aka: a dozen) of pants, and while the sizes were just right, most of pants were ridiculously long (Do such long legs even exist?) Since I’m a cheap guy who doesn’t want to pay 15$ for hemming (Common, I normally don’t buy pants over 30$), it usually takes some time to find a good match. But now I’ll be sending my stuff to your mom as well. If she’s busy, you can always practice sewing yourself (or piping the frosting at least). Delicious and fun cookies by the way!
I hear ya, Ben! Sometimes the leg lengths on these pants makes me wonder who exactly wears them off the rack. It’s pretty much a guarantee that I’ll need to take new pants to the tailor. I’ve just resigned to that fate. But when it comes to ‘sewing’ these cookies, I can easily sew up a whole tray…and then proceed to eat that whole tray, too. Haha!
Yes! I concur! I also save up my sewing jobs for when my mum comes here to visit. Ha ha! In fact there’s a button sitting here on my desk that needs to be sewn back onto my kilt jacket. I probably could do it but I’m just too lazy and she’s much better at these sort of things! I should thank her with a batch of your gingerbread button cookies shouldn’t I? They look delicious! 🙂
Hah! Glad to hear that I’m not the only one who says “Hey, Mom…here is a pile of sewing.” 🙂 Also, I kinda want a kilt jacket. I’m thinking trading button cookies for sewing would be a very nice gesture indeed!
These are cute as a button! Bahaha!! Seriously, though, they are super fun, but that wouldn’t stop me from eatin’ ’em….maybe with a glass or two of milk? P.S. I can’t sew either. Like, at all. Hope you’re having a wonderful week, David 🙂
Hahaha! I can’t believe I didn’t use that fantastic pun in the post, Dawn. Nailed it! Also, I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only sewing-illiterate person out there. 🙂 Hope your week is going well, too, my friend!
These are the cutest cookies. I love gingerbread cookies so these would be perfect for me.
I love gingerbread cookies, too, Dawn! In fact, they’re one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. I’m thinking Santa needs a batch of these gingerbread button cookies this year, right? 🙂
Ha, I do the same exact thing with my things that need sewing! I just gave my mom a shirt that needed a hole sowed up a few weeks ago actually. I feel like when I do it, it never turns out well!
On another note, these cookies are so cute. Perfect to leave for Santa! 😉
Hah! What are we gonna do when our moms can’t sew anymore? I know I’ll be in trouble! You don’t even want to see me try to sew. Haha! And, yes, these cookies are perfect for Santa. In fact, Santa has already requested another batch for Christmas Eve. 😉
Super cute cookie idea. David, I can sew, but don’t often bake. Just think if we were neighbors we could save your mom all of that sewing. A cookie for me and a hem or button for you. Then again, I bet your mom doesn’t mind doing your sewing, especially with Robbie helping her.
Oh man, if we were neighbors we could totally save a bunch of time, Ron! You could do all my extra sewing, and I could pass back all of the extra baked goods. This would work perfectly! 🙂 In fact, we’re selling our house and moving around the corner. Want to come take a look? Haha!
I’m with you on sewing, David! Sewing up a batch of these gingerbread button cookies is my speed. So cute and they sound delicious!
I can “sew” (and eat) these cookies all day…but don’t ask me to actually sew anything for real. That would be a rather scary sight! (Think Frankenstein.) Haha. Thanks, Marissa!
These are so cute! What a gorgeous idea. They look fantastic, and I bet they taste it too! 🙂
Oh man, I had so much fun making these cookies, Alexandra! The creative side of this recipe was almost as fun as eating the actual cookies. Haha! 🙂