Recipe For Spiced Holiday Cookies - Holiday Cookies (2024)

11.19.20

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This old-fashioned recipe comes from the women of Cultures For Health, a brand of sourdough and yogurt starters who are passionate about the health values of traditionally fermented foods. We know many of our readers are vegan or dairy-avoidant, but we like to present a diverse array of wellness perspectives here and find the tradition of fermented dairy products pretty fascinating.

This incredible recipe starts with a soft sugar cookie using yogurt, milk kefir, or buttermilk and uses real, homemade cream cheese (if you dare) using their cream cheese starter culture.

Autumn months are for harvest, and harvest means food! All the hard work of summer farming and growing means food in the pantry, in the storage cellars and on the table. It’s no coincidence that our beloved holiday of Thanksgiving occurs at the end of autumn, when we can take advantage of the wonderful bounty that has been gathered and preserved.

Fermented and cultured foods are a great way to add flavor and nutrition to autumn and winter meals. This delicious treat is the perfect accompaniment to a day-after-Thanksgiving meal, or even a lighter alternative to the traditional pies and cakes.

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies with Real Cream Cheese

Cookie Ingredients:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup buttermilk, milk kefir, or yogurt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
Combine brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter in large bowl; beat at medium speed until
creamy. Add pumpkin, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla and mix well. Combine flour, baking
soda, spice, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl and add to blended mixture; mix
again until well blended. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake
at 350°F for 9-10 minutes or until set and lightly browned around edges. Cool 2 minutes on
cookie sheets; remove to cooling rack. Cool completely.

Filling Ingredients:
1 cupcream cheese, softened
2 tablespoonsbutter, softened
1 teaspoonground cinnamon
1 teaspoonvanilla

Instructions:
Combine all filling ingredients in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often,
until smooth. Spread2 teaspoonsfilling onto bottom side ofonecookie. Top with another
cookie, bottom-side down. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling.

• PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH SANDWICH COOKIES,You’ll need a little advance planning. Before you start, make some cream cheese using our cream cheese starter culture, or make Filmjolk yogurt or creme fraiche and strain it to the thickness of spreadable cream cheese. You’ll also need a cup of sourdough starter for the sourdough cookie, or you can make a soft sugar cookie using yogurt, milk kefir or buttermilk.

• Ingredients for Sourdough Cookie:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup sourdough starter
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

• Step 1:

  Cream together shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, sourdough starter and pumpkin. Mix well. Combine flour with remaining dry ingredients and add to mixture. Mix until blended.

• Step 2:

  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until done.

  See Also

  The Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie Recipe Is Famous for Good Reason

• Filling ingredients:

  • 1 cup cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

• Step 1:

  Combine all filling ingredients in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until smooth.

• Step 2:

  Spread 2 teaspoons filling onto bottom side of one cookie. Top with another cookie, bottom-side down. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling.

• Soft Sugar Cookie Ingredients:

  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk, milk kefir or yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Step 1:

  Combine brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter in large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add pumpkin, buttermilk, egg and vanilla and mix well.

• Step 2:

  Combine flour, baking soda, spice, baking powder and salt in medium bowl and add to blended mixture; mix again until well blended.

• Step 3:

  Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350°F for 9-10 minutes or until set and lightly browned around edges. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets; remove to cooling rack. Cool completely.