Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookie Bars with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
Few desserts evoke the cozy, nostalgic feeling of the holiday season quite like fresh gingerbread. These Gingerbread Cookie Bars capture that perfect balance of warm spices and deep molasses flavor in an incredibly easy-to-make format. Forget the tedious process of chilling dough, rolling it out, and cutting shapes—these bars deliver all the soft, chewy goodness of a classic gingerbread cookie without any of the hassle. They are baked to perfection in a single pan, ensuring a moist and tender texture that is firm enough to slice but soft enough to melt in your mouth. Whether you enjoy them plain, or crowned with a fluffy, spiced cream cheese frosting, these bars are destined to become a staple of your holiday baking repertoire. They are a simple, high-reward recipe that brings maximum festive cheer with minimum effort.
Why You’ll Love This:
- No-Fuss Baking: The greatest feature of this recipe is its simplicity. There is no need for dough chilling or rolling, making it significantly faster and easier than traditional gingerbread cookies. This makes it ideal for large batch baking during the busy holiday season.
- The Perfect Texture: These bars are renowned for being soft and delightfully chewy, not hard or brittle. The use of melted butter and brown sugar ensures a moist crumb that retains its tenderness long after baking.
- Intense Spice Blend: The recipe utilizes a robust combination of classic gingerbread spices—ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg—with a crucial small pinch of black pepper. This pepper subtly enhances and brightens the entire spice profile, lending a sophisticated warmth that truly sets these bars apart.
- Ideal Pairing with Frosting: The tang of the cream cheese frosting, lightly spiced with cinnamon and ginger, provides the perfect creamy contrast to the deep, complex sweetness of the gingerbread, making every bite balanced and addictive.
Perfect Occasion:
These Gingerbread Cookie Bars are the ideal centerpiece for a variety of festive events. They are perfectly suited for Christmas cookie exchanges, holiday open houses, and office parties due to their easy portability and simple slicing structure. Their robust spice profile makes them a comforting addition to a cozy winter afternoon, paired perfectly with a hot cup of tea or coffee. They also make a thoughtful, homemade gift when wrapped simply with a festive ribbon. Because the recipe yields a generous amount (13×9 inches), they are excellent for feeding a crowd without requiring hours of decorating time. No matter the gathering, these bars offer a delicious and heartwarming taste of holiday tradition.
Serving and Decoration Tips:
- Classic Sprinkle Finish: After spreading the spiced cream cheese frosting, immediately top the bars with festive holiday sprinkles. Red, green, and white sprinkles add a pop of color and celebratory texture.
- The Snow-Dusted Look: If serving the bars plain (unfrosted), wait until they are completely cool and dust them heavily with confectioners’ sugar using a fine mesh sieve. This creates a beautiful, snowy look perfect for winter.
- Crystallized Ginger Garnish: For a sophisticated touch, chop a few pieces of crystallized ginger and scatter them over the frosted bars. The intense, chewy heat of the ginger pairs wonderfully with the subtle spices in the cake and frosting.
- Serving Temperature: These bars are excellent served at room temperature, but if they are frosted, the frosting sets beautifully after a brief chill. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before cutting for the neatest slices.
Ingredients:
- For the Cookie Bars: The structure and flavor base of these soft bars starts with all-purpose flour (2 1/4 cups), balanced by baking soda (1 1/2 tsp) for lift, and salt (1/4 tsp). The signature flavor comes from a blend of ground ginger (2 tsp), cinnamon (1 tsp), allspice (1/4 tsp), cloves (1/4 tsp), and nutmeg (1/4 tsp), plus a small pinch of black pepper. The wet ingredients include melted unsalted butter (3/4 cup), packed brown sugar (1/2 cup) and granulated sugar (1/2 cup) for chewiness and sweetness. Crucially, unsulphured molasses (1/3 cup) provides the deep gingerbread color and flavor (avoid using blackstrap molasses, which is too strong). A large egg and vanilla extract (1 tsp) bind the batter.
- For the Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting: This rich topping uses softened full-fat brick cream cheese (6 ounces) and softened unsalted butter (2 Tbsp) as its base. Confectioners’ sugar (1 1/2 cups) provides the sweetness and structure. It is flavored with pure vanilla extract (1 tsp) and a small pinch each of ground ginger, cinnamon, and allspice to complement the cookie base.
Instructions:
Step 1: Prep Oven and Dry Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and adjust the oven rack to the center position. Line a 9×13-inch metal or glass baking pan with parchment paper, ensuring a slight overhang on the sides for easy removal. In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. Setting this dry mixture aside ensures even distribution of the spices.
Step 2: Mix Wet Ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and molasses until the mixture is smooth and no sugar lumps remain. The use of melted butter here contributes directly to the bar’s signature chewy texture. Whisk in the room temperature egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated. Pour this butter mixture into the reserved flour mixture and mix with a large spoon or silicone spatula until no traces of flour remain. The resulting dough will be thick, glossy, and sticky. Transfer the entire dough to the prepared baking pan and use your hands or an offset spatula to press it into a smooth, even layer across the entire base. The layer will be relatively thin—this is correct for a bar cookie.
Step 3: Bake and Cool
Bake the bars for 23–26 minutes. The key is to avoid over-baking: the top of the bars should look set but still appear quite soft, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with only a few moist crumbs. The bars will continue to cook and firm up as they cool. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bars to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. It is vital that the bars are completely cool before the frosting is applied.
Step 4: Make the Frosting
In a large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese and softened butter together on medium-high speed until the mixture is completely smooth, which takes about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is incorporated. Add the confectioners’ sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds to incorporate the sugar without creating a cloud, then increase the speed to high and beat for 2 minutes until the frosting is completely combined, light, and creamy. Taste the frosting and beat in a pinch of salt if it is too sweet for your preference. Spread the finished frosting evenly onto the cooled gingerbread bars. For the best result and to help the frosting set, refrigerate the frosted bars for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Make Ahead Options
These Gingerbread Cookie Bars are an ideal holiday dessert for preparing in advance. The gingerbread base (unfrosted) can be baked up to 2 days ahead of time; ensure it is cooled completely, wrapped tightly, and stored at room temperature. The Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Before using, allow the frosting to soften slightly at room temperature, then beat it briefly to restore its fluffy texture. Once the bars are frosted, they can be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, making them perfect for pre-holiday baking.
Storage Tips for Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- Frosted Bars (Refrigerated): Since the bars are topped with a cream cheese frosting, they must be stored in the refrigerator. Cover them tightly in an airtight container or with plastic wrap for up to 5 days.
- Plain Bars (Room Temperature): If you opt to skip the frosting, the plain gingerbread bars can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezing (Unfrosted): Baked, unfrosted bars freeze beautifully. Cool them completely, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and then wrap them in aluminum foil. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter before frosting.
Tips for the Best Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- Use Quality Molasses: Use unsulphured molasses (like Grandma’s brand is recommended), not blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap is too potent and bitter for this recipe and will overpower the delicate spices.
- Embrace Under-Baking: Do not over-bake these bars, even if the center looks soft. They set as they cool, and over-baking them will result in a hard, dry bar instead of a soft, chewy one.
- Room Temperature Frosting Ingredients: To achieve a perfectly smooth, lump-free cream cheese frosting, ensure both the cream cheese and butter are thoroughly softened to room temperature. This allows them to cream together properly.
- Baking Pan Choice: Using a metal or light-colored glass pan is ideal as it conducts heat evenly. Dark pans can sometimes cause the edges of the bars to cook too quickly, resulting in crispy edges and an undercooked center.
- Add Salt to Frosting: Tasting the frosting and adding a small pinch of salt helps cut the cloying sweetness of the powdered sugar, balancing the flavor perfectly.
Gingerbread Cookie Bars Variations & Substitutions:
- Brown Butter Base: For an extra layer of nutty flavor, brown the butter before adding the sugars and molasses. Allow the butter to cool slightly before mixing, then proceed with the recipe as directed.
- Chocolate Chip Delight: Fold 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips or mini semi-sweet chocolate chips into the finished dough before spreading it into the pan. White chocolate, in particular, pairs exceptionally well with the warm spices.
- Lemon Glaze: If you prefer a lighter topping over the cream cheese frosting, whisk together powdered sugar with a splash of fresh lemon juice and milk to create a bright, tangy glaze.
- Deluxe Spice Topping: Instead of simple sprinkles, top the frosting with a mix of chopped candied ginger, toasted pecans, and a light dusting of cocoa powder for a rich, textured finish.
What to Serve with Gingerbread Cookie Bars:
The warm spices in these bars make them an ideal companion for a variety of festive drinks. Serve them alongside a piping hot mug of spiced apple cider, a rich vanilla latte, or a classic cup of black coffee. For a holiday gathering, a homemade eggnog or a glass of dry red wine, such as Zinfandel, offers a lovely contrast to the sweetness and spice. Alternatively, serving a warm square topped with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream transforms the bar into an elevated winter dessert.
Gingerbread Cookie Bars FAQs:
- Why did my bars sink in the middle?
The most common cause of sinking is removing the bars from the oven too early or overmixing the batter. While the bars should be slightly under-baked, if a toothpick comes out completely wet, they need another minute or two. Also, ensure you don’t over-mix the batter once the flour is added, as this can create a tough structure that collapses upon cooling. - Can I use my stand mixer for the dough?
Yes, you can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment for the first wet ingredients step (melting butter through adding the egg and vanilla). However, when adding the flour mixture, it is best to use a large spoon or silicone spatula to mix the ingredients. This ensures the dry ingredients are just combined and prevents the gluten from over-developing, which is key for a chewy bar. - Why is black pepper included in the recipe?
The small pinch of black pepper does not make the bars taste spicy, but rather serves as a crucial secret ingredient. It is a flavor enhancer that activates the other warm spices (ginger, cinnamon, etc.), making their overall profile brighter and more pronounced. It elevates the taste beyond standard gingerbread. - Can I substitute the molasses?
It is highly recommended not to substitute the molasses, as it is essential for the color, deep flavor, and chewy texture. If you must substitute, use dark corn syrup, but be aware the flavor and color will be less intense. Do not use blackstrap molasses. - How long should I chill the bars before slicing?
For the neatest slices on the frosted bars, chill them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This firms up both the cake structure and the cream cheese frosting, allowing for clean, precise cuts.
Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Ingredients
For the Cookie Bars
- 2 1/4 cups 281g all-purpose flour
- 1 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
- A small pinch of ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 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
- 2 Tablespoons 28g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups 180g confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- A small pinch each of ground ginger cinnamon, & allspice
- Optional for garnish: sprinkles
Instructions
- Make Dough: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk melted butter, sugars, and molasses. Whisk in egg and vanilla. Pour wet mixture into dry and mix until just combined.
- Bake: Press dough into a prepared 9×13-inch pan. Bake for 23–26 minutes until the top is set but still soft. Cool in the pan for at least 1 hour.
- Make Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar, spices, and vanilla. Beat until completely combined and creamy.
- Assemble: Spread frosting on the cooled bars. Top with sprinkles, if desired. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Molasses: Use unsulphured (not blackstrap) molasses for the best flavor.
- Under-Baking: Err on the side of under-baking; the bars will set and firm up as they cool.
- Storage: Store frosted bars tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
