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Frosted brownies topped with colorful red, green, and white holiday sprinkles are stacked on a white plate, with more brownies on parchment paper in the background. A green plaid cloth is underneath the plate.
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Gingerbread Bars With Vanilla Frosting

These soft Gingerbread Bars are packed with warm spices and topped with vanilla frosting. I love making edible holiday gifts, and these easy gingerbread cookie bars are perfect for holiday baking and cookie platters!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24
Author: Melissa Griffiths

Ingredients

For the bars:

  • 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice optional
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg optional
  • Small pinch of ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup molasses unsulphured, not blackstrap — I like Grandma’s brand
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

Instructions

Make the Bars

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the center. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides so you can lift the bars out later.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, pepper, and salt.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar, and molasses until smooth and no lumps remain. Add the egg and vanilla, whisking again until everything is fully combined.
  • Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a large spoon or spatula until you don’t see any dry flour. The dough will be thick and glossy. Spread it evenly into the prepared pan in a thin layer.
  • Bake for 25-28 minutes, just until the top looks set and a toothpick in the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs. Err on the side of slightly under baked and don’t overbake — they’ll firm up as they cool.
  • Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a rack for at least an hour.

Make the Frosting

  • To make the frosting, beat the butter, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of milk or cream together with a hand or stand mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the powdered sugar and cinnamon and beat on low for 30 seconds, then on high for 2 minutes until fluffy. Taste and add a tiny pinch of salt if it’s too sweet. Beat in just a bit of additional milk or cream as needed to make a nice spreadable frosting.
  • Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled bars and add sprinkles if you’d like.
  • Lift them out using the parchment paper and cut into squares. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • If you decide to skip the frosting, the bars can sit at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

Frosting Options: The frosting is a fun addition and feels festive but you don't have to add it. You can also just sprinkle to the top with powdered sugar or do nothing, they are great. Truthfully I don't like the texture of the sprinkles with the soft cookie bars and the smooth icing BUT they look so pretty! So you can choose what you prefer. Sometimes I'll color the icing red or green if I want it a bit festive without sprinkles. 
If you wanted to make this with a cream cheese frosting you could - just add 3 ounces of softened cream cheese and reduce the butter to 2 tablespoons. The cream cheese frosting is fun if you like it (I'm not a huge fan thanks to a pregnancy food aversion years ago, you'll notice that my cinnamon rolls aren't made with a cream cheese frosting either!). 
Make Ahead: These are great to make ahead for a party, cookie platter, or holiday dinner. I find that people love having something spiced and sweet after meals that isn't pie during the holidays. 
Optional Spices: If you don't have the all spice or nutmeg on hand you can skip them. It's up to you. I like the cookie bars both ways.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar of 24 | Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 168mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 307IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

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