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Gingerbread Cookie Bars

Array/5
COOK TIME
20 min
TOTAL TIME
30 min
SERVINGS
12-16 bars
gingerbread cookie bars

Gingerbread just screams Christmas. Gingerbread men, Gingerbread houses and now meet the not so distant cousin, Gingerbread cookie bars. It’s an easy and soft version with perfect gingerbread flavor that is strong and pleasant, but not too intense. The real star is the cream cheese frosting, but when is cream cheese frosting not the star?

These gingerbread cookie bars with cream cheese frosting are so delicious and so addicting. They always get rave reviews and people coming back for “just one more tiny bite.” I highly suggest adding these to your list of easy dessert recipes for Christmas. Because let’s face it – the holidays need something easy!

Even better? You probably have a lot of the ingredients in your house already!

Gingerbread Recipe Ingredients

Before I made my own gingerbread cookie bars, I always kind of thought that gingerbread might be complicated to make. There are so many flavors and spices! There’s hard gingerbread for gingerbread houses and soft gingerbread cookie recipes for gingerbread men. 

And if you want to know how to make gingerbread cookies without a cookie cutter? Well, there’s a recipe for that, too! The good news is, it’s this one! My gingerbread cookie bars are the perfect solution for gingerbread lovers who don’t want to mess around with rolling out dough, cutting out shapes and then trying to frost them to perfection.

These gingerbread cookie bars with cream cheese frosting are a simple gingerbread cookie recipe even the most time-starved holiday human can get on board with!

If you want to make these, you’ll want to grab a few key ingredients:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda
  • Baking powder
  • Butter
  • Brown sugar
  • Molasses
  • Gingerbread spices

 

For the cream cheese frosting you’ll need:

  • Cream cheese
  • Butter
  • Vanilla extract
  • Sugar

 

What spices are in gingerbread cookies?

What exactly are gingerbread spices? While the proportions will vary a bit from recipe to recipe, the actual spices in gingerbread cookies tend to remain the same:

  • ground ginger
  • ground cinnamon
  • ground cloves
  • ground nutmeg

 

The rich flavor of molasses and brown sugar bring these spices together in my gingerbread cookie bars with cream cheese frosting.

What Else to Serve with Gingerbread Cookie Bars

This is one of my favorite easy dessert recipes for Christmas, but there are a lot of other great options out there for recipes that won’t keep you in the kitchen all Christmas Eve. 

Are you hosting a party this holiday season? Add this easy gingerbread recipe to a dessert board with other holiday favorites and wait for all the compliments to rain down upon you!

 

Some of my favorite easy holiday dessert recipes include:

 

Serve your Christmas dessert board with some Gingerbread Egg Nog and you’re in for a wonderful night!

Follow me over on Facebook and Instagram @lolohomekitchen. Be sure to snap a pic if you make a Lolo’s recipe and tag it with #lolohk. I love to see what you are making!

 

Print

Gingerbread Cookie Bars

All the Gingerbread cookie feels and tastes in an easy bar form and, of course, topped with the best cream cheese frosting ever! Perfect holiday treat!

 

Prep time: 10 min  |  Cook time: 20 min  |  Total: 30 min

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Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) Hiland butter, room temperature

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces Hiland cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) Hiland butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non stick spray, set aside.
  2. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
  3. In a mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until well combined and smooth. Add the egg and molasses and beat until combined. On low speed slowly add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
  4. Press the dough out evenly into the baking pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool completely before frosting the bars.
  5. Cream Cheese Frosting: In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth. On low speed gradually add in the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
  6. Spread the frosting all over the cooled cookie bars. Cut into squares and serve.

Notes

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