Lemon Meringue-filled Gingersnap Snowflake Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 cup brown sugar packed
• 1 cup butter at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1 large eggs 
• 3 large egg whites 
• 50 servings dough 
• 3.5 cups flour 
• 0.8 cup granulated sugar 
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger 
• 50 servings optional: lemon 
• 2 tablespoons juice of lemon fresh
• 1  lemon zest 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 0.5 cup blackstrap molasses 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• oven
• whisk
• blender
• plastic wrap
• stand mixer
• ziploc bags
• spatula
• pastry bag

Directions

1. Make dough: Beat butter and brown sugar together in a bowl with a mixer on medium speed.
2. Mix in molasses, then egg, until blended, scraping bowl as needed.
3. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices; add to butter mixture on low speed, mixing until combined.
4. Divide dough in half, shape each into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 3 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 35
6. Unwrap dough. On a generously floured surface, roll out each disk until 1/8 in. thick. Using snowflake cutters to cut out dough in various sizes, some with the centers cut out using a smaller size cutter to make a window, and arrange snowflakes about 1 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets (use a small spatula to transfer). Reroll scraps as needed.
7. Bake cookies until dry-looking and just starting to brown on edges, about 8 minutes. Set pans on racks and let cookies cool on pans.
8. Make meringue: Put sugar, lemon juice, and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set bowl over a pan filled with just enough simmering water so that bowl isn't touching water.
9. Whisking constantly, heat mixture until egg whites are warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved, about 4 minutes. Put bowl of warm whites on mixer and whisk on medium speed until cool and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Stir in zest.
10. Fit a gallon-size resealable plastic bag with a star tip, snipping hole in corner of bag for tip to fit snugly (or use a pastry bag). Half-fill bag with meringue. Gather bag at top and gently pipe about 2 tbsp. meringue onto flat side of 1 cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Dust cookies on both sides with powdered sugar.
11. Make ahead: Chill dough (step
12. up to 1 week. Store baked cookies airtight up to 3 days.