Description
These Gingerbread Cookie Bars combine warm spices and rich molasses in a chewy, thin cookie base topped with a creamy spiced cream cheese frosting. Perfect for holiday gatherings or cozy winter treats, these bars offer a delightful balance of sweet, spicy, and creamy flavors in an easy-to-make sheet pan recipe.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 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
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (113g/80ml) unsulphured molasses
- 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, and allspice
- optional for garnish: sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and position the oven rack in the center. Line a 9×13-inch metal or glass baking pan with parchment paper with an overhang for easy lifting later.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt in a large bowl until fully combined. Set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and molasses until smooth and lump-free. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract until incorporated.
- Combine Dough: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a large spoon or silicone spatula until no flour remains and the dough is thick and shiny.
- Spread Dough: Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press into a smooth, even thin layer. Though the dough is thin, this is expected.
- Bake Bars: Bake for 26 minutes or until the top is set but still soft, and a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs. Avoid overbaking as bars will firm up while cooling.
- Cool Bars: Let bars cool completely in the pan placed on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour.
- Prepare Frosting: Beat the cream cheese and unsalted butter in a large bowl with a paddle attachment or hand mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape sides as needed.
- Add Frosting Ingredients: Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, ground ginger, cinnamon, and allspice. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then high speed for 2 minutes until creamy and combined. Optional: add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Frost Bars: Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled bars and optionally top with sprinkles.
- Set Frosting: Refrigerate frosted bars for 30 minutes to help set the frosting before slicing.
- Serve and Store: Lift the bars from the pan using the parchment overhang and cut into squares. Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Unfrosted bars can be stored at room temperature for 3 days or refrigerated for 1 week.
Notes
- You can make the cookie dough up to 3 days ahead and keep refrigerated or freeze for up to 3 months. Allow it to come to room temperature before baking.
- Baked and cooled bars freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
- If halving the recipe, use an 8-inch or 9-inch pan and start checking doneness at 22 minutes.
- Use unsulphured or dark molasses (Grandma’s brand recommended). Avoid blackstrap molasses as it is too bitter.
- Use brick-style cream cheese, not the spreadable kind, for the frosting to ensure the right texture.
- Do not let melted butter cool before mixing with sugars to keep dough from becoming crumbly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (assuming 24 bars)
- Calories: 200 kcal
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
