These chewy gingerbread bars are simple, sweet, and spicy! They're topped with a drizzle of icing and make the perfect Christmas treat.
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It's holiday treat time, and we're making soft glazed gingerbread bars!
Gingerbread is a classic Christmas flavor that I always enjoy in cookies and quick bread. The only thing easier to make than either of those is dessert bars.
Instead of baking a few batches of cookies, why not spread it all in a pan and cover it with my favorite glaze? Santa will have to go hungry this year, because I guarantee you'll be eating all of these yourself.
What makes these the best gingerbread bars
There is nothing cake like about these bars, they're perfectly soft and chewy like a blondie. They don't use any baking soda, so they stay dense and gooey, just make sure you don't over bake them!
They're also perfectly spiced with those warm winter spices I love like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It's easy to adjust the amount of spices used to suit your own taste, so you'll have perfect bars every time.
Probably my favorite thing of anything, ever, is the icing. I put this on all sorts of stuff, but in this recipe it helps balance out the ginger spice with a bit of sweetness.
A lot of other gingerbread bars use a thick layer of cream cheese frosting, but I think a drizzle of icing is just the right match and helps cut down on sugar so you can enjoy more of these or other holiday treats.
Gingerbread cookie bar ingredients
- Butter
- Egg
- Brown sugar
- Molasses
- Vanilla extract
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Flour
Simple glaze ingredients
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
How to make gingerbread bars
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, egg, brown sugar, molasses, and vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and fold until just combined.
- Pour the batter into a greased 8x8 pan and smooth out evenly.
- Bake at 350ºF for 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely before icing.
How to make the glaze
- In a small bowl, combine butter and powdered sugar.
- Whisk in vanilla and a little milk at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. I like it to be a little thick but able to drizzle in thin ribbons over the bars.
- Drizzle over cooled bars.
Top tips
What kind of molasses to use for gingerbread bars
I used unsulphured molasses to make this recipe. It is the most common, easy to find type of molasses in the grocery store.
Can I freeze gingerbread bars?
These cookie bars freeze beautifully, so feel free to make them weeks in advance of the holidays and pull them out whenever you need. To freeze, allow to cool completely, cut into squares, and place in an airtight, freezer safe container or zip top freezer bag, separating any stacked bars with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
You can freeze the bars for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove a single bar from the bag and allow to sit at room temperature for a few minutes, or place the bag of bars at room temperature for overnight.
Tips for customizing
- Use eggnog instead of milk to make the frosting
- Top with the cream cheese frosting from my applesauce cake instead of making icing
- Reduce the ginger to 1 teaspoon if you don't want the bars to be as spicy
- Add chocolate chips or a little chopped crystalized ginger to the batter before baking
- Add festive holiday sprinkles while the icing is still wet
- Use dairy free butter and milk to make these dairy free
More bar recipes
- Nutty Chocolate Oat Bars
- Refrigerator Bakery Brownies
- Pecan Pie Bars
- Vegan Cookie Dough Bars
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
- Chocolate Chunk Blondies
- Magic Cookie Bars
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Gingerbread Bars
Ingredients
Bars
- ½ cup butter, (1 stick), melted and slightly cooled
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Icing
- 1 teaspoon butter, , melted
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Gingerbread Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together butter, egg, brown sugar, molasses, and vanilla until smooth.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until just combined, don't over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 32-34 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging. Allow the bars to cool while you prepare the icing.
Icing
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter and powdered sugar.
- Add vanilla extract, then whisk in milk a little at a time until it reaches a smooth, pourable consistency.
- Pour evenly over cooled bars. Cut and serve.
Notes
Tips for customizing
- Use eggnog instead of milk to make the frosting
- Top with the cream cheese frosting from my applesauce cake instead of making icing
- Reduce the ginger to 1 teaspoon if you don't want the bars to be as spicy
- Add chocolate chips or a little chopped crystalized ginger to the batter before baking
- Add festive holiday sprinkles while the icing is still wet
- Use dairy free butter and milk to make these dairy free
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
I love gingerbread! Why don't we eat it all year long? 😉 Your bars look a-maz-ing!!! I wish I had one now for an afternoon snack. 🙂
Kai says
So yummy! Perfect for the holidays
Meg says
I really doubt any of the reviewers have made this recipe. I even wonder if it's an AI recipe. I think many of the ingredients are extreme, and most baked goods include salt (I used 1/2 tsp). I made the recipe with only 1/4 cup of molasses (molasses is very strong tasting). I only used 1 tsp of ginger and about a 1/4 tsp of nutmeg (I left out the cloves for the sake of my husband but that also seemed like an excessive amount). I think if you used 1/2 a cup of molasses, 3 tsp of ginger and a whole tsp of nutmeg I feel like it would have tasted overwhelming. I did find it to be a bit greasy. If I make this again I will cut the butter down to 1/3 a cup. I don't think it's terrible but it needs work. I've seen comparable recipes use only 1/3 cup of molasses with 2 & 1/4 cups flour just to give you an idea of why I think it's extreme.
Lindsay Moe says
Hi Meg, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. It's a bit rude to leave a two star review on a recipe you didn't make accurately but are instead judging based on other recipes you've also not tried. I do not and will not be using AI recipes on this site, but it's always a good idea to use good reasoning when it comes to that sort of thing. I can assure you that I like the taste and texture of this recipe as written, but readers are welcome to adjust the seasonings to suit their tastes (including adding salt). Best of luck to you in finding the right recipe for you!
Lynette says
Can this be doubled for a 9x13?
Thanks
Lindsay Moe says
Yes, that should work, just keep an eye on the baking time as it might be different.