Long ago, my husband and I fell in love with a product we found at Trader Joe’s, these Ginger Lemon Creme cookies made by Carr’s. I haven’t seen them in a while and it’s likely that Trader Joe’s has stopped carrying them. But I remember the taste of them vividly, the crisp bite of ginger paired with the sweet tang of lemon. So when I thought about making low carb gingersnaps, my mind went to the next logical step of sandwiching lemon creme between them. How could I possibly go wrong?
For the gingersnaps, I took what is basically a low carb snickerdoodle recipe (there are many versions online, but I followed the one from Kalyn’s Kitchen) and added in the spices that would normally be found in gingersnaps. I made a number of changes to the cookie recipe, as I was using erythritol and stevia to sweeten, and I wanted to add in some flax seed meal for its bulk and its binding properties. For the lemon creme, I played around with my basic low carb buttercream recipes until I had the right consistency and taste.
The Results: Well, these didn’t turn out quite the way I intended, but the good news is that they are fantastic just the way they are. The cookie itself is much softer and more cakey than a regular gingersnap would be. I have yet to achieve a low carb cookie that has the crisp, chewy consistency of a traditional one, but no matter here. The gingery spicy flavour pairs beautifully with the lemon creme filling, and the final product is more like a mini whoopie pie. And there is nothing wrong with that! I can hardly keep my hands off these things and have been having been eating them several times a day. That’s the danger of low carb treats that don’t raise my blood sugar…I feel no guilt having them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert AND snacks!
Ginger Lemon Cremes (or Ginger Lemon Whoopie Pies, if you prefer)
Cookies:
1 ½ cups almond meal/flour
¼ cup flax seed meal
¼ cup granulated erythritol
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 tablespoon almond milk
1 tablespoon dark molasses (optional, for browning and flavour)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
18 drops stevia extract
Filling:
2 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoon butter, softened
3 tablespoon powdered erythritol
3 tablespoon whipping cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
8 drops stevia extract
For the cookies, in a medium bowl, whisk together almond meal, flax seed meal, erythritol, baking soda and spices.
In another bowl, beat butter on medium until light and fluffy. Add half of flour mixture, egg, almond milk, molasses, vanilla and stevia. Beat together until well combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until fully combined (dough may be quite stiff).
Scrape down beater to remove all the dough and then cover and chill in refrigerator for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in top third of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll spoonfuls of dough between palms into ½ inch balls and place on baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Press down on each cookie with palm to about ¼ inch thick. They will spread and flatten more while they bake.
Bake 12-14 minutes, or until tops are golden and set and edges are just beginning to brown. Let cool on pan for 10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
For the filliing, beat cream cheese and butter on medium until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and beat until well combined.
Spread creme on the bottom of cooled cookies and top with another cookie. Let filling set for 20 minutes or so before serving.
Serves 15. Each sandwich cookie has a total of 10.1g of carbs, but only 4.5g if you subtract erythritol.
I will confess to being so proud of these tasty little cookies/whoopie pies, I submitted them to Your Best Recipe over on Nancy’s blog, Spiciefoodie. Please head on over there and check out all the other delicious submissions.
Sophie says
Waw!! These filled cookies look so delectable, Carolyn!
MMMMMM,..Perfect to enjoy with a good cup of fresh ginger tea!
meltingbutter.com says
You gotta love anything low carb and gluten free that still looks as good as this!
Suchitra says
Ah, lovely twist to the cookies- really come out well!
Chrisie Cloud says
I love those Ginger Lemon Cookies by Carr's but since I've become Vegan I haven't had any. I need to make this recipe and modify the dairy. Thanks for sharing!
Cake Duchess says
Ginger lemon whoopie pies sounds just perfect! I love the combination and your photos are gorgeous:)
Lynn @ I'll Have What She's Having says
These sound awesome. I wonder if using palm sugar would get you the crispness you're looking for. It has the same texture of regular sugar, but a much lower glycemic index.
Chef Dennis says
it looks like you came up with a new flavor of whoppie Pie!! they do look delicious! Lemon and ginger is a wonderful combination, thanks for sharing them with us!
Rick says
Light in calories and flavor, these look fantastic.
Foodie Blog Reviews says
Ginger and lemon is a winning combination and I am afraid these wouldn't last long in my house. Love your blog!
Sugar Free Low Carb says
I can't wait to try this one! I prefer the soft cake like sandwich cookies and I love whoopie pies.
briarrose says
Yum! Nice mix of flavors.
Torviewtoronto says
love ginger cookies new recipe haven't made with these ingredients
Kim - Liv Life says
Ooohh!! Thanks for this one! I'm working on low carb, and I LOVE lemon. These will do it for me!
Amy says
This sounds yummy! I love ginger and lemon…and I seriously love whoopie pies.
Yesim says
great recipe, tx for share
gringarl says
Ginger and lemon combo reminds me of one of my mother in law muffin recipe, but gingersnaps with cheesy citrus filling, sounds like hard time not to eat lots of them
SashaInTheKitchen says
These look absolutely amazing – they remind me of the whoopie pies that I have been into making for my own blog lately. Beautiful cookies!
Dimah says
This sounds like a wonderful combination! the cookies look so nice, thank you so much for the great recipe!
Erin @ EKat's Kitchen says
Hi Carolyn! These look fantastic! Sometimes the unplanned surprises work out better than the original plan. I love these whoopie pies! (Still not too late to bring them to the Potluck – it's open thru Monday if you like, and people check it out all week long and beyond!) Thanks for posting this awesome recipe. I want some for breakfast!
Susi says
Ginger and Lemon sound like a fantastic combination! Your cookies/whoopies look wonderful and I would have a hard time keeping my hands away from them, too :o)
Oh, and how funny that you know House of Tricks! Small world :o)