The best part of sandwich cookies is the filling, whether you fill them with frosting, jam, or cream. You can fill sandwich cookies with almost anything, though we prefer cookie fillings that are fairly stiff—like peanut butter—or will thicken as they set. 

Setting Up the Sandwich Cookie Filling

It’s okay if you choose a slightly runny filling for your sandwich cookies–like whipped cream or jam. Adding an egg white or meringue powder to the cookie filling will help it set.  Whatever you use for your sandwich cookie filling, just place a small amount—usually a teaspoon—between the cookies.

Cream Cheese Fillings for Sandwich Cookies

Cream cheese makes for a thicker cookie filling, and we use it often.  

Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

  1. Beat the cream cheese until light and add the vanilla.
  2. Beat in the powdered sugar, a portion at a time, until smooth.

Variations on the Cream Cheese Cookie Filling

You can add 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the filling for chocolate cream cheese filling.

You can make a jam and cream cheese filling by adding 1/4 cup seedless jam or jelly to the finished filling. The jam should be smooth, not chunky.

Professional Pastry Cream for Sandwich Cookie Fillings

Pastry creams make great fillings for sandwich cookies. If you use one of our professional pastry fillings, you have lots of flavors to choose from and they’re all authentic and premade.

Or you can try this pastry cream recipe, though it will certainly take more time and effort than a premade pastry filling that will taste just as great, if not better.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla

Directions:

  1. In a heavy saucepan, dissolve the sugar with the milk and cook over medium, stirring often, just until the mixture comes to a boil.
  2. In a stainless steel bowl beat the eggs yolks and whole egg.
  3. Sift the cornstarch and the sugar into the eggs. Beat with a whip until smooth.
  4. Temper the eggs by drizzling the hot milk into the eggs while beating the eggs. Once smooth, return the mixture to the pan.
  5. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil and thickens.
  6. Remove the cream from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. As soon as the butter is melted, pour the cream into a shallow container and refrigerate until it has cooled.
  7. When you are ready to use, take the cream from the refrigerator and whip until light.

Ganache as a Sandwich Cookie Filling

Our favorite cookie filing is ganache, a mixture of chocolate and butter.  The following recipe is for chocolate ganache but you can also make it with white chocolate of flavored baking chips—mint, peanut butter, or butterscotch.

Ganache is a simple chocolate sauce that is luscious, easy to make, and very versatile. By altering the ratio of whipping cream to chocolate, you can make it thin for an ice cream topping, thick like a paste for a sandwich filling between two cookies, or somewhere in between to drizzle over a cake.

The following recipe will yield a thick, paste-like ganache, perfect for filling your sandwich cookies. You may thin your ganache with more cream, if desired.

Ingredients:

Directions

  1. Combine the whipping cream, butter, and light corn syrup in a heavy saucepan.
  2. Heat until it simmers.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted into a smooth sauce.

The filling will thicken as it cools. It can be thinned with additional whipping cream. If it is too thin, gently reheat it and add more chocolate.

Homemade Marshmallow Cream Filling for Sandwich Cookies

For a treat that kids of all ages will enjoy, split the gingerbread and make a gingerbread-marshmallow cream sandwich.

Ingredients:

  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 3/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. In a very clean glass or metal bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until light and foamy. With the mixer still running, sprinkle in the two tablespoons of sugar. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan, mix the water, corn syrup, and granulated sugar together. Cook over medium heat until it boils and comes to the firm ball stage (246 degrees). Do not overcook.
  3. Drizzle the hot syrup into the egg whites with the mixer running on low. Turn the mixer to high and beat for five or six minutes or until the sauce is very fluffy and the consistency of marshmallow cream. Beat in the extract.

Note: This marshmallow cream cookie filling is of the consistency that it can be piped as you would frosting.

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