These soft, chewy gingerbread cookie bars are an easy, irresistible holiday treat. With a blondie base, no rolling, chilling dough, or cutters required, they come together in seconds and yield a ton! Add your flair with chocolate chips, spiced cream cheese frosting, or cookies on top. Packed with warm spices and a gooey texture, they’re a perfect way to skip the fuss and enjoy your cake.
Why You’ll Love These Gingerbread Cookie Bars
These cookie bars are super soft and wonderfully chewy, making them a delightful treat that’s definitely not cakey. They’re packed with a nostalgic molasses and spice flavor that instantly reminds you of the holidays. What’s even better? This recipe makes a large pan of bars, perfect to serve a crowd with ease. There’s no dough chilling, no rolling, and absolutely no fuss, making them much quicker and easier to make than many recipes out there.
You can elevate these bars by mixing in white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips for a fun texture variety, and top them with a luscious layer of cinnamon-spiced cream cheese frosting. Unlike soft molasses cookies, gingerbread latte cookies, or traditional gingerbread cookies, there’s no need for rolling individual balls, cutting into shapes, or endless re-rolling and baking in batches. The only wait you’ll have is the 1 hour for the pan to cool before you can cut these incredible bars and dig in!
Simple Ingredients
- Butter: Use melted butter for the perfect soft and chewy texture, which works wonders in bar cookies and keeps them from becoming cakey.
- Flour: Choose all-purpose flour as the solid base of the recipe to ensure a balanced structure.
- Baking Soda: A key ingredient to help the bars rise evenly while baking, standing up to the richness of molasses.
- Molasses: Go for unsulphured molasses to add a deep, sweet flavor—avoid blackstrap, as it may taste too bitter.
- Spices: Combine a flavorful mix of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and even a pinch of black pepper for a warm, aromatic blend.
- Sugar: Use a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar to balance sweetness Enhances the flavor and balances the sweetness for a well-rounded taste.
- Egg: Works to bind all the ingredients together, ensuring the bars hold their shape
- Salt:Enhances the flavor and balances the sweetness for a well-rounded taste.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a subtle yet essential note of sweetness that enhances the other flavors.
- Optional Add-Ins: Fold in white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips as the final step for added texture and a hint of indulgence.
This combination of ingredients makes these bars a delightful, chewy treat that captures the essence of the holidays!
Tips for making chewy gingerbread cookie bars
Measure Flour Properly
Use a food scale for the most accurate measurement.
If you’re using a measuring cup, gently spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a flat edge.
Avoid directly scooping flour from the container, as it compresses the flour and results in added amounts that can make the bars dry or cakey.
Prepare the Butter Correctly
For the cookie dough, use melted butter, but ensure it has cooled and is not too warm before adding it. If the butter is too thin, the dough will lack structure.
For the gingerbread blondie layer, use butter at room temperature. Test its softness by gently pressing a finger into it. The butter should give a slight sink but not be overly soft or too firm.
Bake with Precision
Watch for the edges of the bars to turn a light golden brown while the center remains slightly underdone.
The top should look matte, not raw or glossy, signaling that the bars are ready to be taken out of the oven.
These steps will give you the perfect dense, chewy, and flavorful gingerbread bars.
FAQs
Do I need to make homemade gingerbread cookies for these bars?
Not at all! The tiny gingerbread cookies on top are purely decorative and act like sprinkles to showcase that these are gingerbread cookie bars. They don’t contribute to the taste or texture of the bars themselves.
However, if you want to add a special touch, you can make these adorable little cookies at home. You’ll find the full recipe for them in my gingerbread cupcake recipe. They’re super simple to make but do require a little extra time for the dough to chill.
If you’re short on time, store-bought gingerbread cookies work just as well. Just make sure they’re crisp rather than soft for the best result
Do I have to use dark brown sugar?
The reason for using dark brown sugar in this recipe is because it contains rich molasses, which enhances the gingerbread flavor of the bars. It also helps make them incredibly moist and chewy. While you can substitute with regular light brown sugar, I strongly recommend dark brown sugar for the most flavorful result.
Do these bars freeze well?
Yes, these bars freeze wonderfully! Once baked and completely cooled, slice them into portions. Wrap each bar tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil, and place them in a freezer-safe bag. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
How do you store gingerbread cookie bars?
For short-term storage, keep the bars in an airtight container at room temperature if you plan to consume them within a week. For longer storage, refrigerate them for up to 10 days.
- Measure flour properly: Use a food scale or spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it to avoid overly dry or cakey bars.
- Butter: Melt butter for the cookie dough but let it cool before adding. Use room temperature butter for the gingerbread blondie layer and check softness by pressing a finger into it.
- Baking: Bake until the edges are golden brown and the center is slightly underdone. The top should appear matte, not raw or glossy.
Try this recipe
Ingredients:
- Butter (melted or room temperature)
- Dark brown sugar
- Flour
- Molasses
- Eggs
- Baking soda
- Spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves)
- Chocolate chips (optional)
- Salt
Nutritional Facts (approximate per serving):
- Calories: 250-300
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Protein: 2g
- Fat: 12g
- Sugar: 18g
- Fiber: 1