Gingerbread cookie bars are made with molasses, white chocolate, and crystallized ginger for one amazingly rich but easy to make dessert that is perfect to take to a party or share with friends.
Easy Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Once in a while I come across a recipe that is simply perfect and I make that recipe over and over again. That is the case with these amazing White Chocolate Gingerbread Blondies. They were served at a church function by a lovely woman named Molly years ago. Everyone went nuts over them and so she handed out the recipe like a true friend. That recipe has graced my cookie plates and many holiday parties since.
I'm not crazy over gingerbread but this is just the right mix of sweet, spiced, ginger, and chocolate to make an outstanding treat. Plus you bake them in bar form in a sheet cake pan. I love this! You end up with around four dozen treats that you didn't have to roll, dip, slice, or frost. So they taste great, make a bunch, and are easy. What's not to love?!
Here's how you make gingerbread bars:
You'll love how easy this recipe is to whip up and share with those you love!
- Measure out your dry ingredients and stir them together in a bowl.
- In a second bowl add the butter and sugar and cream well.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, and molasses and combine.
- Now add the flour mixture to the wet mixture.
- Stir in the chocolate and candied ginger.
- Bake, cook, slice, and enjoy!
See it's way easier than making cutout cookies but the flavor is SO there.
BUT if you want to make cut out cookies, I'd recommend this gingerbread men recipe. It's perfection.
These bars freeze so well:
To freeze these cookies, simple bake, cool completely, and cut them into squares. Place the squares in a large air-tight container with a tight fitting lid. Place a layer of parchment paper (I just cut up the one they baked on) in between stacked layers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight and then move to room temperature a few hours before serving.
What is crystalized or candied ginger?
Crystalized ginger is small pieces of real ginger root (that you typically see in powdered form for baking) that have been boiled in a sugar syrup and then coated in granulated sugar. It's the sweet version of amazing ginger and it adds so much flavor to these cookies.
More gingerbread recipes:
- Soft Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
- Gingerbread Cake
- The Best Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
- Perfect Gingerbread Cookies without Molasses
White Chocolate Gingerbread Blondies
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 4 dozen blondies 1x
Description
Gingerbread cookie bars are made with molasses, white chocolate, and crystallized ginger for one amazingly rich but easy to make dessert that is perfect to take to a party or share with friends
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup unsulfured molasses
- 1 ¾ cup coarsely chopped white chocolate (think big chunks here, not dust)
- ¼ cup crystallized ginger finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 12 x 17 inch, rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, soda salt, and spices in a bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl beat the butter and sugars together until creamy and pale, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk one at a time, scraping down as needed. Add vanilla and molasses and mix until combined. Add flour mixture on low speed until combined.
- By hand, stir in white chocolate and chopped ginger.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared baking sheet and bake until golden on edges, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan; cut into squares.
- Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- It's generally less expensive to buy some crystallized ginger in the bulk bins at the grocery store instead of in a little jar in the spice section.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 22 min
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: gingerbread cookie bars, gingerbread cookies, crystallized ginger cookies, candied ginger cookies, gingerbread blondies
You are going to love how easy these gingerbread blondies are to make and how easy they are to share! Enjoy from my kitchen to yours.
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
I've made these before (it's a Martha Stewart recipe) and LOVE them! 🙂 Yours are so pretty!
I hope you had a great Christmas and that you're enjoying the new year!
Rachel
Ooh this is my favorite!
Jennifer
What is unsulfured molasses and crystallized ginger?
Melissa
Unsulfered molasses has to do with the processing... it is what most people buy. It's less intense then a less processed blackstrap molasses. And crystallized ginger is candied ginger. Look for it in the bulk bins of a health food store for the best price. It totally makes this recipe so don't skip it! ENJOY!