Description
Delight in the warm, spicy flavors of these Gingerbread Cookie Bars topped with a luscious spiced cream cheese frosting. Perfectly soft and chewy with traditional gingerbread spices, these bars are a festive treat ideal for holiday gatherings or cozy family dessert nights.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Bars
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- small pinch of ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar (dark recommended)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (113g/80ml) unsulphured molasses (Grandma’s brand preferred)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 ounces (170g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- small pinch each of ground ginger, cinnamon, & allspice
- optional for garnish: sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare the pan and preheat: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and position the rack in the center. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhangs on the sides for easy bar removal, and set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk melted butter with brown sugar, granulated sugar, and molasses until smooth and lump-free. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Combine wet and dry mixtures: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir with a large spoon or silicone spatula until the dough comes together with no flour streaks. The dough should be thick and shiny.
- Shape the dough in pan: Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press evenly into a smooth, thin layer. It may seem thin but this is normal.
- Bake: Bake for 23–26 minutes, until the top is mostly set but still soft, and a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs. Avoid overbaking, as bars will firm up while cooling.
- Cool bars: Place the pan on a cooling rack and allow the bars to cool completely for at least 1 hour before frosting.
- Make the frosting: Using a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat softened cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until smooth (about 2 minutes). Scrape bowl as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla; beat on low 30 seconds, then high 2 minutes until creamy and combined. Optionally, add a pinch of salt if frosting is overly sweet.
- Frost the bars: Spread the spiced cream cheese frosting evenly over the cooled bars. Sprinkle with optional sprinkles for garnish.
- Set frosting and slice: Refrigerate frosted bars for 30 minutes to help the frosting set. Then lift bars from pan using parchment overhang and cut into squares.
- Store leftovers: Keep leftover bars tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days. Unfrosted bars can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to a week.
Notes
- You can prepare the dough up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate or freeze for up to 3 months. Bring dough to room temperature before baking.
- Baked bars freeze well for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Use brick-style cream cheese (not spreadable tub) for best frosting texture.
- Avoid letting melted butter cool too much before mixing or dough will become crumbly.
- Use unsulphured or dark molasses (avoid blackstrap molasses due to bitterness).
- This recipe can be halved for smaller batches; begin checking for doneness around 22 minutes if halving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (assuming 24 bars per batch)
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 130mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
