This cookie has a chewy base with a zesty lemon filling and they are absolutely delicious. There is something about the combination of ginger and citrus together, that I absolutely love (and so does Simon).
I first made these back in 2017, and have made them numerous times since. If you go WAY back on my Instagram feed they are there in the Summer of 2017, similar photo to this one minus the greenery.
The only downside to making them is you need to let the dough chill for four hours. I know FOUR hours it’s long. You can make them ahead of time and let them chill overnight. But don’t skip it, otherwise your cookies will spread, and be really thin. Trust me the wait is worth it.
I’ve tried them with Ardor flour and Bobs Red Mill gluten free flour blends. I’m happy to say both worked great in this cookie and didn’t compromise or change the texture much.
I hope you enjoy!
Love Kath xx

Ingredients
- COOKIES
- 100g unsalted butter, melted
- 50g golden caster sugar
- 100g light brown soft sugar
- 25g golden syrup
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 175g gluten free plain flour
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 75g demerara sugar or golden caster sugar, to coat
- FILLING:
- 115g cream cheese, softened
- 60g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup icing sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Put the butter, sugars, golden syrup, egg and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix together using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or hand held beaters until combined.
- In a separate bowl sift the bicarbonate soda, gluten free plain flour and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix until a very sticky dough is formed. Cover the dough with clingwrap and place in the refrigerator for four hours.
- Preheat oven to 160C fan forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Roll the dough into balls, about one tablespoon in size. Then roll in the demerara sugar or golden caster sugar to coat. Place on the lined trays leaving about 2.5 cm between the cookies to allow for spreading.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool on trays for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
FILLING:
- Beat the cream cheese and butter using a handheld mixer. You can use an electric stand mixer, just scrape down the sides regularly. Add the icing sugar, 1/3 cup at a time until well mixed. Mix in the lemon zest and juice until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
ASSEMBLY:
- Match the cookies together into pairs. Pipe the cream cheese filling onto the centre of the base half of the cookie. Sandwich together with the other half.
- Store for 3-4 days in an airtight container.