Gingerbread Cookie Bars

The molasses turns this dough a deep brown before it even reaches the oven, and once it’s pressed into the pan, the whole kitchen smells like ginger and cinnamon. I like making gingerbread this way because there’s no need to portion individual cookies or keep track of multiple baking sheets. These gingerbread cookie bars bake together in one 9×13-inch pan, then get a smooth layer of cream cheese frosting once they’ve cooled.

The dough is mixed just until the flour disappears, then pressed into an even layer so the edges and center bake at nearly the same pace. That matters with a bar this thick: the edges should be set while the center still leaves a few moist crumbs on a toothpick. After a full cool-down, the frosting spreads cleanly across the top, and a short chill makes the bars easier to lift and slice into neat squares.

Why These Gingerbread Bars Shouldn’t Pass the Toothpick Test Clean

Cookie bars can look finished around the edge while the middle is still catching up. The toothpick cue here is a few moist crumbs, not a completely clean pick. If you wait for the center to look dry, the bars can bake past the tender point before you ever get the frosting out. Start checking at 20 minutes, then use the edges and the center together to judge them: the edges should be set, and the center should leave those small crumbs.

The even layer in the 9×13-inch pan helps keep that difference manageable. Press the dough all the way into the corners and level the middle rather than leaving a thick mound in the center. The bake window is 20 to 24 minutes, but your most useful cue is what the bars look and feel like, not the timer alone. They’ll continue to settle as they cool in the pan, so don’t wait for a firm, dry center before taking them out.

How Molasses and Brown Sugar Build the Gingerbread Base

• Unsulfured molasses — It gives the bars their deep gingerbread character and dark color, while also bringing moisture to the dough. Stick with unsulfured molasses for the balanced sweetness here; blackstrap has a stronger, more bitter taste that can take over the spices.
• Light brown sugar — Its packed, moist texture supports the soft cookie-bar crumb and rounds out the molasses. Break up any hard lumps before beating so they don’t linger in the finished dough.
• Ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves — Ginger leads, cinnamon fills out the warmth, and a small amount of cloves gives the spice blend depth. Whisk them thoroughly with the flour so the flavor is distributed instead of concentrated in a few bites.
• All-purpose flour and baking soda — Flour gives the pressed dough enough structure to slice into bars, while baking soda helps it rise as it bakes. Whisk the dry ingredients together first; adding them as a combined mixture makes it easier to avoid pockets of baking soda or spice.
• Unsalted butter and egg — Softened butter creams with the brown sugar to create the base, and the egg helps bind the dough. The butter should be soft enough to beat smoothly, not melted; melted butter won’t cream into the same light, fluffy mixture.
• Cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk — The cream cheese makes a tangy frosting that balances the molasses-spice base. Use softened cream cheese from a block for a thick, smooth finish; powdered sugar sweetens it, and the milk helps bring it to a spreadable consistency.
• Vanilla extract — A little vanilla rounds out the spices without competing with the ginger and molasses. Use the extract you keep for baking; there’s no need for a specialty bottle for this recipe.

From Softened Butter to Frosted, Sliceable Bars

Prepare the Pan and Spice Mixture

Heat the oven to 350°F and line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides. Lightly grease the parchment so the bars release cleanly after chilling. Whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl until the spices look evenly mixed through the flour. Setting this bowl aside now keeps the mixing sequence simple once the butter is creamed.

Cream the Butter, Then Add the Molasses

Beat the softened butter and packed light brown sugar in a large bowl on medium speed until the mixture looks light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, molasses, and vanilla until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed so no streaks of butter or molasses remain. Add the flour mixture on low speed and stop as soon as no dry flour is visible. The dough will be thick; mixing beyond that point isn’t needed.

Press, Bake, and Cool the Slab

Press the dough into an even layer in the prepared pan, paying attention to the corners and center. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. A toothpick coated in wet dough means the center needs more time; a few crumbs are the cue to pull the pan. Leave the bars in the pan to cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make the Frosting and Chill Before Cutting

Beat the softened cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth before adding the powdered sugar and milk. Beat again until the frosting looks creamy and spreadable, with no visible lumps. Spread it over the cooled bars, then chill the pan for 30 minutes before using the parchment overhang to lift the slab. Cut it into 24 bars once it’s out of the pan.

Two Ways to Serve These Gingerbread Bars

Questions That Come Up While Baking Gingerbread Bars

Gingerbread Cookie Bars

Gingerbread cookie bars bake into a soft, chewy layer with warm ginger, cinnamon, and molasses, then get topped with creamy frosting. Chill the frosted bars for clean, easy-to-cut squares.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 24 minutes mins

Cooling and chilling 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 44 minutes mins

Servings: 24 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 194

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the bars

• 2.5 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.25 tsp ground cloves
• 0.5 tsp kosher salt
• 0.75 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar packed
• 1 egg large
• 0.33 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting

• 1 block (8 oz) cream cheese softened
• 1.5 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp milk

Equipment

• 1 9x13-inch baking pan
• 1 electric mixer

Method

 

Make the bars

1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides, and lightly grease the parchment.
3. Whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl.
4. Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Beat in the egg, molasses, and vanilla until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
6. Add the flour mixture and mix on low just until no dry flour remains.
7. Press the dough into an even layer in the prepared pan.
8. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
9. Cool completely in the pan, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make the frosting

1. Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth.
2. Beat in the powdered sugar and milk until creamy and spreadable.
3. Spread the frosting over the cooled bars.
4. Chill for 30 minutes before lifting the bars from the pan and cutting into 24 bars.

Notes

For soft, chewy bars, avoid baking past the point when the edges are set and the center toothpick has a few moist crumbs. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days; freeze frosted or unfrosted bars for up to 2 months. For a dairy-free swap, use plant-based butter, cream cheese, and milk.