These easy gingerbread cookie bars have a delicious ginger molasses flavor and a soft, chewy texture. Instead of royal icing – they’re topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting for the perfect Christmas treat!
These gingerbread cookie bars with cream cheese frosting are the perfect alternative to making gingerbread cookies. Not only are they easier to make, but they’re also softer, chewier, and even more delicious thanks to the cream cheese frosting. Unlike traditional gingerbread cookies where you make the cookie dough, chill it in the fridge, roll it out and then cut the cookies into shapes – the cookie dough is pressed into the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan and baked. They’re easy, tasty, and way less mess!
Making Gingerbread Cookie Bars
If you’ve every made gingerbread cookies – the cookie dough recipe will seem very similar:
- First, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and baking soda. The ginger contributes to that classic gingerbread flavor, and the cinnamon and nutmeg round it out.
- In a separate bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Then mix in the molasses, vanilla extract and eggs. I like to use 1 egg plus 1 extra egg yolk because it makes the bars softer and chewier. The brown sugar not only adds flavor, but it also contributes to the chewy texture because it has more moisture than white sugar.
- Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. I do this about ½ at a time to avoid flour going everywhere.
- Press the cookie dough down into a lightly greased 9×13 inch pan, and pop it in the oven to bake.
After the bars are baked and cooled, they’re topped with cream cheese frosting. It’s creamy, fluffy and way more delicious than the typical icing use on gingerbread men (in my opinion). You’ll love how the tanginess of the cream cheese pairs with the cinnamon and ginger of the bars.
Baking Tips
- Make sure to use unsulphered molasses – sometimes called cooking molasses or fancy molasses. Do not use blackstrap molasses. The flavor is too strong for baking.
- You can use a glass or metal pan for this recipe. A metal pan will make the bars a little crispier around the edges and make the bars bake a little faster than a glass pan.
- To press the cookie dough into the pan without your fingers getting sticky, lightly spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray, then press the mixture down into the pan.
- Make sure to use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese to make the frosting. Otherwise, it will be too thin. And if you’re interested in learning all about cream cheese frosting – check out this post for tons of tips and tricks.
And while you’re at it – these sugar cookie bars are a great addition to your holiday baking. For more gingerbread recipes, why not try:
Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar light or dark
- â…“ cup unsulphered molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk discard the egg white
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 8 oz brick-style cream cheese full-fat
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons whipping cream or milk
Instructions
Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
- Grease a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and baking soda.
- In a separate large bowl beat together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in the molasses and vanilla extract. Then beat in the egg and egg yolk.
- Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture about ½ at a time until combined.
- Spread or press the cookie dough into the prepared pan. If pressing with your hands, lightly spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes, or until the sides are starting to pull away from the edges of the pan or an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool fully in the pan.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat the butter until fluffy.
- Beat in the cream cheese.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat in the powdered sugar about 1 cup at a time alternating with 1 tablespoon of cream until the desired sweetness is reached.
- Frost the cooled bars, then optionally decorate with sprinkles
Notes
- Nutrition information is an estimate only and based on 1 bar with frosting (without sprinkles) assuming the pan is sliced into 15 equal pieces.Â
- Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 8 hours, then store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Unfrosted bars can be frozen for up to 2 months, then thaw in the fridge.Â
Nutrition
Just started to make these but I’m a little confused. The directions state adding cloves but cloves are not mentioned in the list of ingredients anywhere. If I’m supposed to use cloves,how much?
Thank you so much for the catch and alerting me to that error! I just updated the recipe – it should have 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. If you don’t have any on hand, it will be fine without. Thanks again for your help!
I’m curious if you could bake this in a jelly roll pan/sheet pan if you 1.5 or doubled this recipe? We are often feeding a troop of hungry trailmen or an office crowd.
I’m sure you could. I haven’t tried it myself, so I am not sure of the bake time.