Around the holidays, the best recipes are available for baking! These Gingerbread Bars are perfectly spiced and sweet. If you’re looking for a recipe to make every year with friends and family, this is it! Adults and kids both love this recipe because it’s not too strong of a gingerbread flavor!
Baking with your family is always a fun tradition. Knowing what to bake can be a challenge and that’s why these bars exist. They are simple to bake and even yummier to eat. You won’t spend all day cooking, instead, you can spend time with the family and enjoy each other’s company while eating tasty holiday treats.
Along with these bars, we also make this Chocolate Gingerbread House Tutorial and Gingerbread Cookie Bites Recipe – Easy Christmas Cookies, every single year! Gingerbread is our jam!
Imagine baking these Gingerbread Squares and enjoying them right alongside our Christmas Hot Chocolate Bombs. YUM!
Gingerbread Bars: Ingredients & Utensils
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour – The flour is going to be the base of the gingerbread bars.
- Ground cinnamon – The flavor of the gingerbread comes from the cinnamon.
- Baking soda – Tis the season for baking and you’ll need lots of baking soda.
- Ground ginger – Another vital ingredient to get that gingerbread flavor.
- Ground nutmeg – This spice is going to help get the gingerbread flavor.
- Ground cloves – Don’t forget to add cloves to the recipe!
- Salt – Baked goods always need a little salt to completely be delicious.
- Unsalted butter – Make sure it’s unsalted butter and also softened.
- Granulated sugar – The perfect amount of sweetness will come from the granulated sugar.
- Brown sugar – The brown sugar will need to be packed.
- Molasses – When you’re making real gingerbread, you do need molasses.
- Vanilla extract – A little extract goes a long way and will make the gingerbread delicious.
- Large egg – The large egg will need to be at room temperature prior to making.
Frosting:
- Unsalted butter – The frosting calls for unsalted butter that is also softened.
- Cream cheese – The cream cheese should also be softened.
- Powdered sugar – This ingredient should be sifted.
- Clear vanilla extract – Using clear vanilla extract in the frosting will keep it white
- Sprinkles for decoration – This step is optional, but you can use whatever sprinkles you’d like! We love adding these Ginger Snaps to the top of our bars.
How to Make Gingerbread Bar Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13×9 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving extra on the ends to use as handles to remove bars easily.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, bakings soda, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. In a large bowl cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Go ahead and add molasses and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add egg and beat until well combined.
Add flour mixture and mix until well combined. Press dough into prepared baking dish.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, do not overbake. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Lift parchment paper from pan and place on wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
Sift powdered sugar. This step is optional but it makes the frosting creamier. Cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth
Beat in vanilla extract. Gradually add powdered sugar until well combined and frosting is desired consistency.
The last step is to frost and decorate the bars.
Ginger Bars: FAQs
How many bars does this recipe make?
This Gingerbread Bars recipe will make around 24 bars.
What kind of sprinkles should I use?
You can use whatever festive sprinkles you’d like! You can also leave the sprinkles off of the bars if you’d like.
How do I store the bars?
Cut the bars and serve or store in an airtight container for up to one week.
Did you enjoy making these Gingerbread Bars?
We’re hoping you love these Gingerbread Bars as much as our family does. If you’re looking for a fantastic holiday treat to make, then you’ve come across the right recipe! When you make these, please leave us a comment and let you know what you thought. Make sure you check out the other Christmas Treats on our blog.
More Christmas Treats…
- Christmas Tree Brownies
- Christmas Cakesicles
- Christmas Tree Rice Krispies
- Red Velvet Cakesicles
- Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Gingerbread Bars
These Gingerbread Bars are the perfect dessert bar for the holidays, or any occasion.
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup molasses
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- Frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract **see notes
- Sprinkles for decoration, optional
Instructions
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving extra on the ends to use as handles to remove bars easily
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, bakings soda, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt
In a large bowl cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
Add molasses and vanilla and beat until well combined
Add egg and beat until well combined
Add flour mixture and mix until well combined
Press dough into prepared baking dish
Bake for 15-18 minutes, do not overbake
Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes
Lift parchment paper from pan and place on wire rack to cool completely
Frosting
Sift powdered sugar. This step is optional but it makes the frosting creamier.
Cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth
Beat in vanilla extract
Gradually add powdered sugar until well combined and frosting is desired consistency
Frost and decorate bars
Cut into bars and serve or store in an airtight container for up to one week
Notes
Vanilla: Using clear vanilla extract in the frosting will keep it white