Go Back
–+ servings
a stack of homemade gingerbread bars with cream cheese frosting

Gingerbread Bars

Author Christi Johnstone
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Deliciously chewy gingerbread bars are topped with an irresistible cream cheese frosting for an easy holiday dessert everyone will love!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 16 bars

Ingredients

Gingerbread Bars

  • 1/2 cup butter melted
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 3 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 oz butter softened
  • 4 oz cream cheese softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt you can omit this, but I find it helps cut the sweetness a bit

Instructions

Gingerbread Bars

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil, letting enough foil hang over the edges so that you can grasp it to pull the bars out after baking. Spray lightly with cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine butter and sugars, beating until well mixed. Add in vanilla and molasses and beat until well combined. Mix in egg until combined. Combine flour, baking soda and spices. Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients until well combined, but do not over mix. Batter will be thick. Press batter evenly into pan.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes. They will seem undercooked, but firm up as they cool. Once cooled completely, frost with cream cheese frosting. Store covered in refrigerator.

Frosting

  • In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar and beat until well combined. Add in vanilla, and continue to beat for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Notes

Please read entire post for advice, tips, FAQs and substitutions. 
Storage – When storing these delicious gingerbread bars, be sure to cover them completely and store them in the fridge. If you don’t frost them with the cream cheese frosting, they can be left out at room temperature. They’ll last in the fridge for about 3-4 days or you can freeze them, in which they will last up to 3 months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 404mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 466IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Pin it Today!Mention @LoveFromTheOven or tag #LFTORecipes!