Gingerbread Bars

Gingerbread bars have all the flavor of the holidays in one delicious bite.

Perfectly chewy with a cream cheese frosting, these gingerbread bars are bursting with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Once you try these bars (which my brother deemed the best thing he’s ever eaten) they will quickly become part of your must-bake holiday treats!

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Ingredients

• flour: all-purpose flour provides structure and texture to the bars.
• spices: ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg are the heart of gingerbread flavor. Ginger adds warmth and spiciness, cinnamon lends sweetness and depth, cloves contribute a rich, aromatic flavor, and nutmeg adds a hint of earthiness.
• baking soda
• salt
• butter: unsalted butter is often preferred in baking to control the overall salt content. It adds richness and moisture to the bars, contributing to their tender texture and flavor.
• brown sugar
• molasses: molasses provides flavor as well as makes these bars very moist.
• egg
• vanilla
• cream cheese frosting

You will also need a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and a mixer.

How to Make Gingerbread Bars

1. Whisk together dry ingredients.
2. Cream together wet ingredients.
3. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet.
4. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Spread cream cheese frosting over bars.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

More Holiday Treats

Soft and Chewy Gingersnap Cookies – my favorite Christmas cookie!

Lemon Bars – quick & easy

Magic Bars – a family favorite

Raspberry Fluff Salad – an easy side or dessert

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Gingerbread Bars

Chewy gingerbread bars are bursting with warm spices making them the perfect Christmas treat.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 24 servings

Calories 188kcal

Author Ayla O’Neill

Equipment

• stand mixer
• 9×13 baking pan

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 oz cream cheese softened
• ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• pinch salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease and line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set dry ingredient mixture aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which should take about 2 minutes.
• Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture, and continue to beat until well combined.
• Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until well combined.
• Press the gingerbread dough evenly into the prepared baking pan.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• In the meantime, make the cream cheese frosting. In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy.
• On low speed, add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the cream cheese mixture.
• Once your gingerbread bars have completely cooled, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the top of the bars.

Notes

Note, the dough is quite thick and I really had to use my fingers/bottom of a glass to evenly spread the dough all the way through the pan. It will be a thin layer of dough, but it rises as it bakes!

If you like a heavier cream cheese frosting, double the recipe. 

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