Gingerbread Cookie Bars
These Gingerbread Cookie Bars are an incredibly soft and chewy Christmas dessert. These are a great alternative to making individual gingerbread men. These cookie bars are great by themselves with a little dusting of powdered sugar or with cream cheese frosting on top.
GINGERBREAD COOKIE BARS
I was so excited when the Six Sisters asked me to share a recipe out of the Six Sisters’ Stuff new cookbook! Their book, 12 Days of Christmas with Six Sisters’ Stuff, is packed full of holiday recipes that are totally doable and incredibly tasty.
I had so much fun going through and bookmarking the things I wanted to make. I’ve already gifted this to some of my friends because if you’re friends with me, you love food.
I immediately was drawn to these gingerbread bars. I don’t think the pictures do them justice. They are so chewy, probably due to the molasses, and full of spices. They tasted just like gingerbread men but WAY better.
I loved that they were soft but still cut really well. Honestly, they didn’t need frosting. All by themselves, they are a treat.
You can definitely add cream cheese frosting to make them super decadent but it does calm down the spice flavor when you do that which may be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you prefer. 
The batter comes together quickly and is pressed into a 9×13 pan. After only 15 minutes they are done. 
Seriously. I mean seriously. Delish. 
These are my new favorite holiday treat.
OTHER CHRISTMAS RECIPES:
- Grinch Heart Cookies
- Melted Oreo Snowmen Truffles
- Christmas Tree “Cheese” Ball
- Soft Eggnog Cookies
- Peppermint Eggnog Punch
- Eggnog Gingerbread Trifle
- Cranberry and Feta Pinwheels
- North Pole Cupcakes
- Eggnog Eclair Cake
- Santa Claus Cookies
Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting: (or just dust with powdered sugar)
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 lb (3 3/4 cups) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and molasses on medium speed until creamy.
- Add the egg and stir until completely incorporated. Add baking soda, flour, spices, and salt and mix until well combined. Spread dough into prepared pan, using clean hands or a rubber spatula to press the dough to the edges of the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes; do not overbake! Cool in a pan with a wire rack.
- When bars have cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting or dust lightly with powdered sugar. They are delicious with nothing on them! Cut into squares and serve.
- For the frosting: Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Slowly mix on low and then beat it on high until fluffy.
Salted or unsalted butter? I’m making these tomorrow and I can’t wait!
I always use unsalted. Sorry I didn’t get to this comment in time.
Ingredients has baking soda listed, but not listed in the directions…just want to make sure if I’m suppose to use it or not…Please advise! Thanks!
Yes, you should add the baking soda with the flour. Not sure why it wasn’t listed in the directions.
Oh good, cause I did! 🙂 Thank you!!!
I just made these tonight. My very first cookie bars.. I have some finicky taste buds and I have to say.. These were the best things I have had since I was a kid some 200 years ago haha. This is definitely on my do again list. Not having to change a thing in a first-time recipe is a rare occasion. Excellent recipe.
I agree! Thanks! Glad you loved them like I do.
These were really good! I had to bake them a little longer, as they were still liquidy at 15 minutes. Mine went about 23 minutes before they were done. I think the frosting is a must! I will definitely be making these again! 🙂
Glad you liked them!
Nice texture and chewyness, but not even close to gingerbread. Barely any ginger flavour or even cinnamon/spice. They taste, as my husband put it, brown. Double the cinnamon, triple, at least, the ginger and you’ll have gingerbread, and gingerbread deserving of frosting.
Aww. Sorry you didn’t approve. It’s definitely for the mild spice lover.
I thought they were perfect.
Where I live, molasses is incredibly difficult to find, which as a gingerbread lover, is more than a little depressing. When I finally got my hands on a jar, I saved it for over a month, unwilling to risk this precious substance on a substandard batch of gingerbread. Finally, I could stand it no longer.
Now, as I sit here, waiting for my gingerbread to bake, a preemptive taste of the dough having left my mouth salivating more than is probably ladylike, I realize that previous thoughts of altruistic sharing have been banished, replaced with more calculated selfish thoughts of “how many more batches of this stuff can I get out of that little jar of brown deliciousness?”
All that to say, thank you for sharing this recipe, I can’t wait to try it in approximately 30 minutes..I doubt I will manage to hold out until it’s cool!
I’m so glad you trusted me with your precious substance!! Just don’t overbake them. That’s the only thing that can go wrong!
These are really good. Wouldn’t change a thing except maybe only half this amount of icing. The bar can easily stand on its own. Delish.
I agree. The bar can stand on it’s own.
I made two batches of these this morning, and they are my new go-to for the holidays! I added cardamom and used less cloves, and added lemon zest to the frosting. Great recipe, thanks!!
I’m not sure how this recipe is not 5 stars. I made them last night and I’m planning on icing them tonight but my boyfriend and I could not wait until tonight so we tried them without the icing and they’re amazing, not to mention they also smell heavenly. I doubled the recipe for my coworkers and I know they will love them. I’m also now going to make an extra batch for Christmas next week. Thank you for the recipe, this one is a keeper for the holidays.
I agree. I love it!
I just wanted to point out a major issue with your instructions. If over-baking is something to be concerned about you should describe some visual indication that the bars are done. A five minute window is very unhelpful as ovens tend to vary.
I just made these…and I followed the recipe EXACTLY as written, the taste is there, but they were not even remotely like a bar other than I cut them square ! They were extremely flat…not even remotely cake-like in the picture ! Would love to make these again, but something is awry…not enough flour? no baking powder to help it rise? Im not sure ! Any input would be great…like I said, the taste is spot on ! Even my cookies rise better than these did ! I will re-rate once I find a solution !!!
These are a Cookie bar so they are not supposed to be fluffy. They are supposed to be flatter like a cookie. The picture might look thick because of the frosting.
I do a new recipe each year and this ones a keeper for sure!
Truly decadent alone but I Just finished the icing on them…
Texture taste, OMG Devine!!!!!
A must try, super easy, no fail!!!!
No fail is right. Glad you agree!
Oh my goodness, do these sound AMAZING. Gingerbread has grown on me during the last few years, and I love how easily these bars come together. WAY easier than gingerbread men/women, and I’m just just as scrumptious!
For interest sake, this is a recipe my great grandma made and passed down to us. She lived to be 109 years old, which means it was tested and tried many, many times. It is a favorite. She would press the dough out onto a cookie sheet with sides until it was about 1/3 inch thick or thin, as it may be. Always seemed like it was too thin. It works everytime. Makes for a great treat to take for a crowd. “Spread” the love.
Hello. These look delicious! Could they be frozen, with the icing!?
I have GOT to make these – they look amazing!!
Mmm… soft and chewy sounds really good 🙂
Christy – these turned out awesome and have ended my years-long quest for great gingerbread. Hands down even beats Martha Stewart’s. With far less fuss. 🙂 I didn’t put anything on the top of mine and my kids have been eating them for breakfast. 😉 Thank you!
I know, right? I like them plain which is odd for me.
Christy – these turned out awesome and have ended my years-long quest for great gingerbread. Hands down even beats Martha Stewart’s. With far less fuss. 🙂 I didn’t put anything on the top of mine and my kids have been eating them for breakfast. 😉 Thank you!
Wow, what I wouldn’t do to pop one of these delicious looking cookies in my mouth right now! 🙂
Very nice cake
Excited to try these! I’m not a fan of nutmeg or cloves (too spicy?), so I almost always omit those from recipes. Bet they will still turn out great!! They look delicious 🙂
Gingerbread bars are the best!! So much better than regular gingerbread in my opinion…
Love this idea SO much more than doing “regular” gingerbread men!
I love these. Thanks so much.
Hi Christy,
Just looking through this recipe, I’d really like to make it.
I have all the ingredients in my pantry/fridge except the molasses.
Would it be okay to substitute treacle for the molasses?
Yes, as far as I know they are equals so you could substitute it!
I do not really like a ginger.. but I should give it a try.. because your bars look so yummy:)
These are perfect! Love how easy they are in bar form.
Yes – love these! Everything good about a gingerbread cookie, but without all the work of making and decorating cutouts. That’s a total WIN in my book!
Oh wow. These sound delicious! I love gingerbread cookies, but I’ve never had them with cream cheese frosting. I bet it’s divine. And I love that there’s no rolling and cutting! 🙂
They’re awesome. You will love them.