Yield: 8″ pan gingerbread cookie bars // Total Time: 55 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. //
Soft and chewy spiced gingerbread cookie bars topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting.
gingerbread cookie bars
If you love gingerbread cookies but don’t want to deal with rolling and cutting out cookie dough, you’ve come to the right place! These frosted gingerbread cookie bars give you all the delicious warm spices and flavor of gingerbread cookies, but are made super easily in bar form. We’re topping them off with a tangy cream cheese frosting which perfectly compliments the sweet and spiced cookies.
recipe tips
weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient. In a small batch recipe it is especially important to get those correct measurements because there is less room for error. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
room temperature ingredients
It is important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other. If you have ever had your batter look curdled, it is most likely due to the ingredients separating from being at different temperatures. Take out the egg, butter, and cream cheese at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hr 30 min. before starting the recipe. To get an egg to room temperature quickly, you can run it under hot water for 1 minute. To get butter and cream cheese to room temperature quickly, you can slice them and lay them flat on a plate, then microwave in 5 second intervals until they are soft to the touch.
mix the dough carefully
When adding in the flour, only fold the mixture just until no flour streaks remain. Overmixing the dough leads to more gluten formation, which can make the cookie bars super tough and chewy.
under bake for perfect cookies
Cookies continue baking after they have been taken out of the oven. Once the edges turn slightly golden brown, the cookies are ready to come out. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for an additional 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
ingredients and substitutions
For the gingerbread Cookie bars:
All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.
Baking powder & baking soda: for helping the cookies bars rise.
Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness of the cookie bars
Ground cinnamon, ground ginger & ground cloves: for flavor. Feel free to use a pre-made gingerbread spice in these bars, or your favorite blend of gingerbread spices.
Unsalted butter: for tenderness and flavor. You can use salted butter in place of the unsalted, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the dough.
Dark brown sugar: for moisture, flavor, and sweetness. I recommend dark brown sugar for the best flavor and results.
Molasses: for sweetness and that classic, deep gingerbread flavor. Make sure you are using unsulphured molasses, such as Grandma’s brand.
Egg: for binding and for moisture.
For the cheesecake frosting:
Cream cheese: the base of the cheesecake frosting! The tanginess from the cream cheese compliments the sweetness of the frosting and cookies so well.
Unsalted butter: a little bit of butter helps thicken up the frosting.
Salt: a little bit of salt helps balance the sweetness and bring out the flavor of the frosting.
Vanilla: for flavor.
Powdered sugar: to sweeten and thicken up the frosting.
how to make frosted gingerbread cookie bars
Here are a few pictures of the process for making these frosted gingerbread bars. The full recipe can be found at the end of this blog post!
- Melt the butter and whisk in the dark brown sugar, followed by the egg and molasses.
- Add in all of the dry ingredients and fold the mixture together just until no flour streaks remain.
- Beat the frosting ingredients together.
- Once the cookie bars have cooled to room temperature, spread the frosting over them. Top with sprinkles, then slice, serve and enjoy!
gingerbread cookie bars q&a
can I double this recipe?
Of course! I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
can I make these gingerbread cheesecake cookies ahead of time?
Definitely! You can bake off the cookie bars and keep them stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days before frosting and serving them.
how to store gingerbread cheesecake cookies
Because the frosting is made with cream cheese, these cookie bars do need to be stored in the fridge once they are frosted. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you’re not a fan of cold desserts, you can let them sit out for 30 minutes before eating them!
why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
a note on oven temperature
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
did you make these gingerbread cookie bars?
If you made these cream cheese frosted gingerbread cookie bars I would love to see them and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- 141 g unsalted butter (10 tbsp.)
- 225 g dark brown sugar (1 c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 30 g molasses (2 tbsp.)
- 1 egg room temperature
- 240 g all purpose flour (2 c.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp. ground ginger
- ½ tsp. ground cloves
- ¾ tsp. salt
Cheesecake Frosting
- 150 g cream cheese room temperature (⅔ c.)
- 56 g unsalted butter room temperature (4 tbsp.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 240 g powdered sugar (2 c.)
- 2 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Grease and line an 8" square pan with butter and parchment paper.
- Add the butter to a medium sized microwave safe mixing bowl. Melt the butter, then whisk in the dark brown sugar.
- Add in the molasses and egg and beat until well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together just until no flour streaks remain.
- Pat the cookie dough into an even layer in the prepared square pan. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cookie comes out with only a few moist crumbs.*
Cheesecake Frosting
- In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and salt until the mixture is smooth.
- Add in the powdered sugar in two additions and beat until combined, followed by the vanilla.
- Once the cookies bars have completely cooled to room temperature, generously frost them with the cream cheese frosting. Top with sprinkles and mini gingerbread men, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
I made these for a potluck at work and everyone absolutely raved about them!
Thank you so much, Courtney! I’m so happy everyone liked them! 🙂
Please give the amount of cream required in the frosting. Thank you.
Please list the required amount of cream for
Oops that was a typo, there is no heavy cream in the frosting! 🙂
Do you leave the bars to cool completely in the pan or do you attempt to remove with the parchment paper sling after 5 minutes to continue cooling on a cooling rack as you would with regular cookies?
Hi Mary! I usually remove the bars from the pan about 10-15 minutes after baking, but it’s not too big of a difference if you leave them in the pan to cool 🙂