It's the most wonderful time of the year! These gingerbread bars are the next best festive treat you need to add to your Christmas baking. The bars are full of warm spices and flavour and topped off with a sweet fluffy cream cheese frosting and decorated with holiday sprinkles and cute little Gingerbread men.
Making and cutting gingerbread men can become an unnecessarily long hassle, especially when you're on a time crunch during the Holiday season. With these Chewy Gingerbread Cookie Bars, you've got the same flavours for a fraction of the work.
Why you will LOVE this recipe
- Full of warm spices.
- One bowl recipe.
- Easy and straightforward.
- Simple ingredients.
- Crowd pleaser.
- Perfectly spiced.
- Gets the house smelling like Christmas!
- Ummmm...gingerbread. 'Nuff said 🤤🤤
'Tis the season for Christmas baking! I am beyond excited to share this recipe with you. Growing up, I would always bake gingerbread men with my family. We'd spend all of Saturday rolling out dough, using cookie cutters, making icing, and frosting them after. Looking back now as a 21-year-old, I can't believe that we kept the tradition up during the busiest time of the year! (You go mom!!) Anyways, there's nothing that puts me in the Christmas spirit like gingerbread. That's why I'm sharing these Gingerbread Cookie Bars! While they bake, your home will be filled with the wonderful aroma of warm spices like ginger and cinnamon, mixed with hints of sweet brown sugar and molasses. These Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Bars should definitely be one of your treats you make this #HolidaySeason!
Check out these progress photos while the recipe was being made! One bowl, no hassle. Gotta love it!
Recipe Video
Chewy Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 2 tsp baking soda
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a bowl, whisk together melted butter and both sugars.
- Whisk in molasses, egg, and vanilla.
- Once well combined, fold in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. This will form a thick batter. Do not over-mix.
- Pour into a prepared (lined and greased) 8x8 square pan. Spread out evenly.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- While it cools, prep the frosting. In a stand mixer cream together cream cheese and butter on medium speed for 3-5 minutes.
- Add in powdered sugar and vanilla and continue mixing until a smooth and thick frosting has formed.
- For thicker frosting, add more sugar until desired preference has been reached.
- Once the bars have completely cooled, frost and decorate with sprinkles and gingerbread men (optional).
- Enjoy!
Maey says
I went out to buy all the ingredients, these did not turn out due to a mistake, the directions say to add egg but egg or eggs are not included in the ingredients complete waste of my time & money
Ania says
Hi Maey, I'm so sorry about my mistake. You are right, and I updated the recipe card.
Judi says
I see that in the instruction’s that an egg is added but it’s not listed in the ingredient’s. Is there an egg used or not? Thank you.
Ania says
Hi Judi. Yes there is an egg in the ingredients listed. Enjoy the bars!
Sylvia says
These turned out delicious! I’m so glad I found this recipe. It’s very easy and fool proof, I added real ginger & extra spices because I like extra flavor.
Ania says
Yay! Amazing to hear. Thanks for sharing Sylvia, so glad you enjoyed these bars!
Amanda Thompson says
Hi can you freeze theses bars to eat on a later date?