Gingerbread Cookie Bars
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Soft and chewy Gingerbread Cookie Bars are decorated with a simple frosting and sprinkles! Flavored with all my favorite holiday spices, this is a fun festive treat for the season.
There’s no chilling or cookie cutters necessary for today’s recipe, making this a simple alternative to my classic Gingerbread Men. Recipe includes a how-to video at the bottom of the post!
Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Another lazy-day cookie bar recipe today! After Monday’s Christmas Cookies round-up, I’m feeling a little exhausted with all the scooping, rolling out, and chilling, and thought something a little simpler was in order.
Dense, buttery, chewy, and flavored with all of the best holiday spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves, & nutmeg!), these Gingerbread Cookie Bars are simple, but they’re lacking nothing in terms of flavor. Oh, and you are just going to love the thick, creamy layer of cream cheese frosting on top.
Frosting
No good Gingerbread Cookie is complete without a decorative frosting, and the same can be said for these Gingerbread Cookie bars! While you could get away with using my sugar cookie frosting here, I prefer to use a sturdy, pipe-able variation of my cream cheese frosting instead. The subtly tangy flavor of the cream cheese is the perfect complement to these brightly spiced bars. Not a fan of cream cheese frosting? Use the buttercream frosting in my sugar cookie bar recipe instead!
You’ll notice that I add cornstarch to my frosting. I use this technique with the frosting on my Carrot Cake Cookies, as well. What this does is it helps make the frosting more firm and encourages it to “crust” or harden after a few hours. This means a less messy, easier to slice and to transport cookie bar. If you don’t have cornstarch on hand, you can leave this ingredient out, your frosting will just be softer.
I used a Wilton 2B tip to pipe the frosting on my gingerbread cookie bars, and you can see just how I did my design it in the video below. Of course, you can decorate them any way you please, or just spread the frosting evenly over the bars (the easiest way to do it!).
How to Store Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Personally, I store these cookie bars at room temperature in an airtight container. However, because of the cream cheese frosting on top, I recommend erring on the side of caution, and if you are going to have them around longer than a day or two, I would place them in the refrigerator. Store in an airtight container and allow them to come back to room temperature before serving.
Enjoy!
More Recipes You Might Like
- Gingerbread (this is a cake-y version!)
- Blondies
- Gingerbread Cupcakes
- Gingerbread Layer Cake
How to Make Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 ml) unsulphured molasses, it should say unsulphered on the label, I used "Grandma's" brand
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (265 g) + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING*
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) salted butter softened
- 6 oz (170 g) cream cheese, softened
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (280 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch**
- Sprinkles for decorating, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 9x13 paper with parchment paper (use enough so the parchment is hanging over the sides so that you will be able to lift it out of the pan once it's baked and cooled) or lightly grease and flour.
- Stir together melted butter, brown sugar, and molasses in a large bowl.¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar, ¼ cup (60 ml) unsulphured molasses
- Add egg and vanilla extract and stir well. Set aside.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.2 cups (265 g) + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients and stir until completely combined.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared baking pan. Transfer to 350°F (175°C) and bake for 22 minutes. Allow to cool completely before decorating with frosting.
FROSTING
- Once your cookie bars have cooled, prepare your frosting by combining butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer (or a stand mixer) to cream ingredients together until well-combined.6 Tablespoons (85 g) salted butter softened, 6 oz (170 g) cream cheese, ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- Gradually (with mixer on low-speed) add powdered sugar until completely combined. Stir in cornstarch (make sure it's well incorporated into the frosting).2 ¼ cups (280 g) powdered sugar, 2 tsp cornstarch**
- Spread or pipe (I used a Wilton 2B tip) frosting over completely cooled gingerbread bars. Decorate with sprinkles (if desired), then slice and serve.Sprinkles for decorating
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I’m thinking of adding fresh ginger and using lemon curd for the topping. Do you foresee any problems?
Hi Betsy! I’ve never used fresh ginger in baking, I think it’s definitely worth experimenting with, though, and don’t see why it would be an issue. The lemon curd sounds tasty, I might wait to add until just before serving to keep it from getting too wet, but let me know how it goes!
Sam, this recipe was delicious! thanks for being so patient with all of my questions. It was a big hit at the party yesterday. My only change was to add 1 cup of white chocolate chips to the batter. And for the frosting I used 1 stick of butter, 1 8oz pkg of cream cheese and 3 cups of powdered sugar. I spread the frosting than piping it. I will definitely be making this again!!
We’re so happy to hear they were a hit, Gayle! ❤️
I am planning to spread (not pipe) the frosting. will your recipe give enough coverage?
I think it will be fine 🙂
Do you think these would be good with white chocolate chips? If so, about how many ounces to add? I am planning to use cream cheese frosting so I don’t want them way too sweet.
Hi Gayle! You can add the white chocolate chips. If you are worried about it being too sweet I would probably only add a cup. 🙂
the recipe only calls for 1/4tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp baking powder. is that correct? doesn’t seem like they will rise much at all. I’m planning to make these next week but I’m concerned with the measurements.
Hi Gayle! Yes, that is correct. This recipe is meant to mimic the taste and texture of a cookie. It is lighter than a cookie, but is meant to be more dense, chewy, and thick than say, a cake. Its texture is like that of a cookie bar or similar to a brownie rather than a cake, so the leavening agents must be kept at a minimum. Enjoy!
can I make these into a gingerbread loaf or will they be stodgy. I’m making loaves for Christmas and trying to figure out what to make. Any suggestions, would be a help
Hi Helen! While I suppose this could be baked in a loaf pan, it’s not going to be anything close to what gingerbread is. These are pretty dense and chewy. I have a gingerbread recipe you could make. 🙂
Can I make these in a 9×9 pan? What would the adjustments be?Thanks Corinne
Hi Corinne! You could, the bars will just be thicker and so will need to bake for longer. I’m not sure exactly how long, honestly, but I would suspect somewhere around 30 minutes.
Our family has been having a cookie bake for years and this year I made these Gingerbread cookie bars. They were a big hit with the family and all were eaten before be all picked our cookies to take home and share! We loved them and I suspect they will be asked for again.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much! 🙂
These were delicious! Didn’t even put icing on them, they were gobbled up! I halved the butter with coconut oil and they came out fine. Took about 35 mins in a glass pan.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Natalie! 🙂
Hi Sam,
I was torn between this recipes frosting and your gingerbread recipe. Executive decision was made to use the bars frosting (I loved the use of corn starch and I added 1/2 tsp cinnamon) and your gingerbread.
It came out soooooo delicious, however it was even better the second day. The gingerbread had such a lovely crumb and the spice amounts were perfect. Your frosting with a touch of cinnamon made the perfect comforter the gingerbread bed. This is going in my recipe box and forevermore will be the only recipe I will use. Thank you very much for the recipe and inspiration. I wish you and yours well.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lynn! 🙂
The spices were nice and subtle. However the bars didn’t have as much height as yours so they were chewy? Thoughts?
Hi Wendy! They are supposed to be chewy like a cookie bar. Did you use a bigger pan? They aren’t overly tall. How thick were yours?
1 cm. Yours looked much thicker.
Hmmm mine aren’t very thick. I never really measured them but I think they were around 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. That would give you somewhere between 1.25cm to about 2cm. Did you use a different pan or make any alterations? The end of the video might help you see how thick they are.
Hi Sam
My local stores seem to have had a run on cloves, whole or ground. Can I do without or does my search have to widen?
Thanks and Merry Christmas. Your sire is great. After folks compliment me on some recipe of yours I shout your praises and guide them to your site.
The cloves are really critical to get that gingerbread flavor. These will turn out without the cloves the taste just won’t be what it’s supposed to be. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed everything so much and I really appreciate you spreading the word. 🙂
Hi Sam
You were right as rain. Thanks very much for not letting me do this wrong. Found the cloves and these were absolutely terrific. At a Christmas dinner with many competing deserts, this is the one that disappeared.
Can you freeze these bars!
These should freeze just fine. 🙂
This is the second recipe from your site that I have made and these came out wonderfully! So did the cake I tried. Your instructions are awesome and so helpful!
Hey Sam,
On the cream cheese, it looks like your volumetric and weight measurements don’t quite line up. Based on the source recipe, I think it’s weight, but could you please confirm?
Love your site!!
Hi Daniel! I’m so sorry for the confusion! Thank you so much for catching that! The correct gram measurement should be 170g. I will go in and fix that right now. 🙂
Good stuff. I like that the spices aren’t overwhelming. Thoroughly enjoyed these bars and was nice and easy to bake in a Glass dish.
Just made these and yum 💜💜💜
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Alexandra! 🙂
These are amazing!! Everyone at my holiday party raved about them! They will be a tradition from now on! Thanks!!
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Emily! 🙂
Hi! Can these be frozen (minus the cream cheese icing)? I love the idea of a low-effort gingerbread cookie!
Hi Jamie! I haven’t tried freezing it myself, but I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t be able to. 🙂
These cookie bars taste great! The whole family loved them! Will definitely make again.
Hello!
Can i use sugar stead molasses?
Thank you!
Hi, Luciana. Sugar would not be a good substitute for molasses in these cookie bars.
Hey Sam! Another great recipe. You make it look so easy – she says as she’s wiping icing sugar off the cabinets. Oops!😳
I have a tip for you. Use small metal paperclips (the kind that you flip the arms up & down) to hold the parchment paper to the sides of your pan. Saves having to fight with the paper when you’re putting your batter in the pan. You can buy a 4-6 pack at the dollar store. If the clips are colored I’d advise removing them before putting the pan in the oven. Don’t want toxic paint fumes!
Happy holidays to you and yours!
Yesterday -30°F + 5″ of snow, AND wind. Today? A balmy +6°F and sun. If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes, or drive a few miles. Welcome to Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦 lol(& although we use the metric system I converted temps back to the old way for our southern neighbors)
Stay safe all!
🤣 My cabinets have seen more than their fair share of sugar/icing/you name it on them! The paperclip idea is a great idea! I’ll have to try it some day! -30 is a bittttt cold for my liking although I wouldn’t mind a little bit of snow. 🙂