Chewy Gingerbread Bars

Name: Chewy Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: ½ cup butter (melted); ¾ cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup dark brown sugar; ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract; ⅓ cup molasses; 1 large egg; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking soda; 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground ginger; ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon ground cloves; ½ teaspoon salt; 6 ounces cream cheese (softened); 3 Tablespoons butter (softened); 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar; ¾ teaspoon vanilla; holiday sprinkles (optional)

The recipe prices will vary based on fluctuating grocery costs. Please use what is posted as a guide.

Recipe Cost 5.68

Recipe Serving Cost 0.24

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These soft and chewy Gingerbread Bars couldn’t be easier to make! They are deliciously spicy with just the right amount of cream cheese frosting! They feed a crowd, so they’re perfect for holiday parties and cookie trays.

These Gingerbread Cookie Bars are soft, chewy, perfectly spiced, and an easy alternative to making individual gingerbread men cookies. This recipe serves 24 and costs about $5.68 to make, which is only $0.24 per serving.

If you love gingerbread as much as I do, then be sure to check out this Edible Gingerbread Cookie Dough, these Gingerbread Oreo Truffles, and these Soft Gingerbread Cookies.

A close up picture of a gingerbread bar with cream cheese frosting and Christmas sprinkles.

These bars have a gingerbread cookie base that’s soft and chewy. Basically, they’re a gingerbread brownie covered in luscious cream cheese frosting.

To say I’m obsessed with all things gingerbread would be a huge understatement! Including this Gingerbread Bars recipe, I currently have nine gingerbread recipes between my two websites.

GINGERBREAD RECIPES:

Gingerbread Cookie Bars (recipe below)
Hanging Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread OREO Truffles
Gingerbread Cookies with Orange Glaze
Homemade Gingerbread Houses Recipe
Gingerbread Cheesecake Dip (my most popular holiday recipe)
Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Drop Cookies
Gingerbread Waffles

Gingerbread bars stacked on top of each other.

Gingerbread obsessed indeed, folks!

These Gingerbread Cookie Bars are just the thing to make when you want a gingerbread fix, and need it quickly! They’re so easy to make, let me show you how!

Instructions

First, whisk together the dry ingredients.
Beat together sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and molasses.
Mix in the egg.
Then, beat in the dry ingredients.
Spread the cookie batter into the prepared jelly roll pan. Bake and cool the cookie bars completely.
Once the bars are cool, mix together the cream cheese frosting.
Next, spread the cream cheese frosting over the cookie bars.
Finally, top with holiday sprinkles. Slice and serve!

Storage Tips

SERVE: You can keep these out for about two hours before they need to be covered and stored in the refrigerator.

STORE: Store these bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

FREEZE: If you freeze the gingerbread bars, it’s best to leave off the sprinkles because many of them tend to “melt” in the freezer. To freeze, space the bars out on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 1-2 hours. Then wrap the bars in two layers of plastic wrap and foil. Next, place the bars in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag and freeze for 1-2 months.

DEFROST: Unwrap the bars and then thaw at room temperature for 2-4 hours.

Recipe FAQ’s

What kind of molasses do you use for gingerbread cookies?

Cooking molasses is typically the type of molasses one uses in gingerbread cookies. Cooking molasses is dark and full of flavor, which adds a delicious taste to the cookies.

Are gingerbread cookies hard to make?

Gingerbread cookie dough is a firm dough, so it can be tricky to roll it out and cut it into shapes. Also, the more you handle the dough, the tougher the cookies can get.

This is another reason why I love these cookie bars so much. They are super easy to make while not worrying about over-handling the dough while cutting out shapes. Because they’re not the easiest to make, I like making these gingerbread bars for holiday cookie trays that I give to neighbors, friends, and family.

An overhead picture of the cut gingerbread bars.

Cook’s Tools:

9×13-inch jelly roll pan

mixing bowl

stand mixer OR handheld mixer

rubber scraper

More Holiday Desserts:

Gingerbread Cookie Bars on a cake stand.

A close up picture gingerbread bars stacked on top of each other.

Chewy Gingerbread Cookie Bars

These soft and chewy Gingerbread Bars couldn’t be easier to make! They are deliciously spicy with just the right amount of cream cheese frosting!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gingerbread

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Cooling Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: people

US Customary – Metric

Calories: 203kcal

Ingredients

COOKIE BARS:

½ cup butter melted
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅓ cup molasses
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

6 ounces cream cheese softened
3 Tablespoons butter softened
2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
¾ teaspoon vanilla
holiday sprinkles optional

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

MAKE GINGERBREAD COOKIE BARS:

Move oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch jelly roll pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed, or in a large bowl using handheld beaters, cream together butter, sugars, vanilla, and molasses until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
Mix in egg until completely combined. Add dry ingredients and pulse mixer/handheld beaters until flour is incorporated. Increase mixing speed to medium and mix until well combined, about 1 minute.
Spread dough evenly into prepared pan. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until darker in color and toothpick inserted comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Move pan to wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

MAKE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

In the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed, or in a large bowl using handheld beaters, cream together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
Add powdered sugar and vanilla, and pulse to combine, then increase mixing speed to medium-high and mix until creamy, about 1-2 minutes.

TO FINISH:

Frost cooled cookie bars with cream cheese frosting. Garnish with holiday sprinkles, slice in 24 bars, and serve.

Notes

These will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This recipe makes 24 cookie bars, so make sure you have plans for sharing them!

Nutrition

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A close up picture of gingerbread cookies stacked on top of each other.