These Gingerbread Bars are perfectly spiced tender, thick cookie bars that are covered in a silky smooth 4-ingredient cream cheese frosting! Great for feeding a large crowd around the holidays!
No holiday gathering can be complete without a sweetly spiced gingerbread treat to enjoy! This is why I love making these bars as well as my Gingerbread Whoopie Pies With Brown Sugar Filling and Gingerbread Truffles with White Chocolate!
Bring some cozy, spiced flavor to your holiday baking list by serving up a batch of these Gingerbread Bars! They’re tender, yet firm and are covered in a sweet cream cheese frosting making for completely delicious cookie bars!
If you love the traditional gingerbread cookies that you cut out and frost then you’ll surely enjoy these bars as well! These are still just as chewy as the well-loved cookie but do get a bit of a glow up from the cream cheese frosting!
I also find these a lot easier and quicker to make than cut-out cookies! Skip the chilling and messy cookie cut-out situation and instead mix up this dough and bake the bars for 25 minutes or less!
Then simply finish them off with the 4-ingredient homemade cream cheese frosting and sprinkles! What you’re left with are sweet, ginger molasses bars that everyone will want a slice of!
Ingredient Notes
This Gingerbread Bars Recipe is made in two parts. First, the tender bars, and second, the smooth cream cheese frosting! However, both parts take no time at all to whip up!
To make the bars you’ll first combine all-purpose flour, ground ginger (for that signature flavor), baking soda, ground cinnamon (extra spice), and salt. In a separate bowl, shortening (for amazing texture) will get beaten with granulated sugar before adding eggs.
Afterward, you’ll add molasses to pack in that delicious cozy flavor before combining the flour mixture into the batter. Then the gingerbread bars will slide into the oven to be baked up to tender perfection.
Once they cool you’ll cover them in the cream cheese frosting! This is made using unsalted butter, cream cheese (tangy and delicious), vanilla extract, and powdered sugar.
I then like to finish the cookie bars off with some fun, festive sprinkles!
How To Make Gingerbread Cookies Bars
- Whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Then set it off to the side.
- Beat the shortening on low speed while slowly adding in the sugar. Continue beating until fully combined while making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down as needed.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition. Afterward mix in the molasses until combined.
- Mix in the flour mixture a little to a time until fully incorporated. Then place the dough into a baking pan thats lined with parchment paper.
- Press the dough down into the pan. Then bake it until the edges begin to turn golden.
- Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool compeletly before frosting.
- Prepare the frosting by beating the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla together until smooth.
- Add in the powdered sugar a little to a time. Then continue to mix the frosting together until it becomes silky smooth.
- Spread the cream cheese frosting over the cooled bars. Top with sprinkles then slice into sqaures and enjoy!
This recipe is designed to be made in a 10×15-inch pan, but you can make it in a 9×13-inch pan if that’s all you have. Just see the notes in the recipe card.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s The Best Way To Store These Gingerbread Squares?
Place the bars in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. Enjoy them for up to 5 days!
How Can I Be Sure That The Gingerbread Layer Has Finished Baking?
You can insert a toothpick into the center of the bars. Once the toothpick comes out clean then the bars have finished baking.
Can I Make This Gingerbread Blondies Recipe In A 9×13-inch Pan?
Though this recipe is actually designed for a 9×15-inch pan using a 9×13 would work just fine. Keep in mind that this will cause the bars to be a bit thicker on the edges.
Which isn’t a big deal! You can just frost them as is or trim the bars to create level bars.
How Can I Adjust This Recipe To Get A Deeper Flavor?
Simply swap out 1 cup of granulated sugar for 1 cup of light brown sugar.
These homemade Gingerbread Blondies are the perfect way to add some flavorful variety to your holiday dessert tables! Here are more tasty gingerbread recipes that you may want nestle onto the dessert table as well!
- Creamy Gingerbread Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust – Homemade creamy spiced filling is topped with ginger whipped cream!
- Easy Gingerbread Cheesecake Dip – An easy no bake dessert that’s made with just 4 ingredients in only 5 minutes!
- Gingerbread Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream – Made with pantry staple ingredients and ready in under an hour!
- Simple Gingerbread French Toast Bake Casserole – Prep this breakfast casserole the night before for an easy breakfast in the morning!
- Delicious Gingerbread Candied Pecans – Toss these on salads, pies, cakes, or in nut mixes for some wonderful holiday flavor!
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Gingerbread Bars
Ingredients
Bars
- 4½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups shortening
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup molasses
Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9×15-inch or 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the shortening on low speed and slowly add in the sugar and beat until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition, then mix in the molasses until incorporated.
- Add the flour mixture a little at a time until fully incorporated.
- Transfer the dough to the pan and gently press it into the pan.
- Bake for 18 to 24 minutes until the edges begin to turn golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean.
- Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and mix until the frosting is silky smooth.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled bars and top with sprinkles.
- Slice the bars into squares.
Notes
- How To Store: Place the bars in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. Enjoy them for up to 5 days!
- How Can I Be Sure That The Gingerbread Layer Has Finished Baking? You can insert a toothpick into the center of the bars. Once the toothpick comes out clean then the bars have finished baking.
- Can I Make This Gingerbread Blondies Recipe In A 9×13-inch Pan? Though this recipe is actually designed for a 9×15-inch pan using a 9×13 would work just fine. Keep in mind that this will cause the bars to be a bit thicker on the edges. Which isn’t a big deal! You can just frost them as is or trim the bars to create level bars.
- How Can I Adjust This Recipe To Get A Deeper Flavor? Simply swap out 1 cup of granulated sugar for 1 cup of light brown sugar.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Joni says
Can these be frozen?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Yes, they should be fine to freeze. If frosted first I would flash freeze them on a cookie sheet for 1 hour before packaging up so the frosting doesn’t get messy.