Gingerbread Cookie Bars

5 from 12 votes

Soft and chewy gingerbread cookie bars with cream cheese frosting. The perfect alternative to individual gingerbread men!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: bars

Calories: 206kcal

Author: Jessica Lawson

Ingredients

For the gingerbread cookie dough:

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cups butter softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup unsulphured blackstrap molasses
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

For the cream cheese frosting:

¼ cup softened butter
4 oz softened cream cheese
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
Don't forget to decorate with plenty of holiday sprinkles!

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13X9 baking pan with parchment paper. Use two sheets, one across the length and one across the width. Leave a bit of overhang so you can use it as a sling to lift the cooled bars out of the pan after baking.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer), cream butter and brown sugar till light and fluffy. Add in molasses, egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt and black pepper.
Carefully add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredient mixture and stir until just combined into a soft, sticky dough. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and ensure that everything is well incorporated.
Turn dough into parchment lined baking dish and use floured fingers to gently press the dough all the way to the edges in an even layer.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. The bars will look puffed and set when they are done and deflate as they cool.
While the bars are cooling, make the cream cheese frosting.
Add ¼ cup of softened butter and cream cheese to a clean bowl of the stand mixer and beat until smooth and creamy. Add in vanilla, powdered sugar and pinch of salt and beat until everything is well combined and smooth.
When the bars are completely cooled, Use the overhanging parchment paper to gently lift the slab of bars out of the baking dish and place on a flat surface.
With an offset spatula, spread the cream cheese frosting in an even layer all the way to the edges of the bars.
Decorate with lots of sprinkles and use a sharp knife to cut the slab into 24 even sized bars.

Notes

Gingerbread cookie bars are best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition