Gingerbread Cookie Bars Recipe (2024)

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30 minutes mins

25 Comments

5 from 1 vote

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Gingerbread Cookie Bars Recipe (1)

Ready or not, the holidays are here!
I was talking to my husband over the weekend and we decided that we are going to do our best to “simplify” this year . . . we probably won’t be sending out Christmas cards, our schedules are going to revolve around spending time with family, and our Elf on the Shelf probably won’t be making his grand appearance.

I just really want to keep the focus on our family and the spirit of the season. One thing that won’t be any different is baking in the kitchen . . . some of my best holiday memories revolve around being with my mom and sisters in the kitchen and I want the same thing for my kids!

However, these gingerbread cookie bars definitely simplify the cookie-making process! Instead of having to cut out tons of gingerbread men, you get all the delicious gingerbread flavor in an easy-to-make bar cookie. They are chewy and soft and packed full of holiday flavor. Plus, they are easy enough that your kids can help you make them!

So, if you are looking to simplify your holiday season . . . start here. 🙂

These bars can be topped with a dusting of powdered sugar or our favorite cream cheese frosting!

Related recipe: If you love these Gingerbread Bars, you’ll love our Gingerbread Truffles!

Gingerbread Cookie Bars Recipe (2)

Serves: 12 people

Gingerbread Cookie Bars Recipe

5 from 1 vote

These are chewy and soft and packed full of holiday flavor. Plus, they are easy enough that your kids can help you make them!

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter melted
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • cup molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  • Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

  • In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and molasses and beat until creamy. Add the egg and stir until completely incorporated. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. Press dough into pan (I just used my fingers to press the dough to the edges of the pan).

  • Bake for 15-20 minutes and let cool (don't over cook- I cooked mine for exactly 15 and they turned out perfect).

  • When finished, you can frost them with cream cheese frosting or even cover with a light dusting of powdered sugar. Or, don't top them with anything. They are delicious no matter what you do!

Nutrition

Calories: 245 kcal · Carbohydrates: 41 g · Protein: 3 g · Fat: 8 g · Saturated Fat: 5 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 34 mg · Sodium: 357 mg · Potassium: 178 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 24 g · Vitamin A: 258 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 38 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Recipe Details

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Join The Discussion

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  1. Jamie Cooks It Up! says:

    So glad you liked these bars, Camille. :) Thanks for the link back. Merry Christmas! ~Jamie

  2. Laura @ Lauras Baking Talent says:

    Love gingerbread, but you are right sometimes it just takes too much time. Definitely saving this recipe :)

  3. Jelli @JellibeanJournals.com says:

    How yummy! I sure wish I could hunt down molasses here in Costa Rica. I just love holiday baking and nothing reminds me more that I'm not in my midwestern hometown than Christmastime cookies with no peppermint chips or gingerbread. Mmm! Pinned this recipe. Thanks, ladies.

  4. Dana says:

    OH HOLY YUM!! Cannot wait to try these! They look absolutely delicious!!

  5. Sandy says:

    These look delicious - and easy! I am going to make a gluten free version - has anyone tried to adapt this recipe yet? I love gingerbread - but afraid cookies will be too crumbly and difficult to work with - this looks like the perfect solution! Thank you!

  6. Tara says:

    Do you think you could double this recipe to make them cookie-sheet size?

  7. Brianne says:

    I was bummed when mine came out way undercooked after baking 20 min. The sides were done but not the inside. This happens when I make brownies also. I blame it on the high altitude in utah. What can I do differently?

  8. Carole says:

    Looks yummy going to take these to Christmas party. Thanx

  9. Rekaya Gibson says:

    I made these on Thursday. They were so good that I'm making more on Sunday. I had to cook them longer than 20 minutes to cook them fully. They still came out perfect, crunchy edges, which I like, and a gooey middle. The spices and molasses had a great balance and made the house smell festive. Thank you.

  10. Cyd says:

    We have only made them in a 9x13, so I don't want to say it will work just fine. But really I don't see why it wouldn't work. Watch them closely and it may require a little more cooking time. Let us know how it all turns out!

  11. Aletha Gardner says:

    I am wanting to make these ahead of time(5 days) for a cookie exchange. i was going to freeze them, do you think that will work and should i frost them before I freeze them, or wait until they thaw to frost?

  12. Sharon Fisher says:

    I just made these and doubled the recipe. I used a jelly roll pan. It's funny that everyone is commenting that they had to cook them longer. I cooked them a little longer, maybe 5 minutes, because I doubled the recipe. They turned out kinda hard. Not just the edges but all of it. Don't know what went wrong. So if you're doubling the recipe, be careful. The cream cheese frosting is yummy, though

  13. Liz says:

    These turned out perfect and delicious!! Will make them time and time again! Do you know if I can make these cutouts instead of bars? They taste amazing and I want to make gingerbread men using this recipe if it will work.

  14. Eva W says:

    I put parchment paper in the pan. Helped them cut so nicely. I baked mine for 20 minutes and they are the consistency of brownies. PERFECT. Will definitely make this recipe again. Yum.

  15. Cyd says:

    Cut outs would be super cute! I think it would work!

  16. Cyd says:

    They will freeze well with the icing on or off.

  17. marianne says:

    Omg... Saw the recipe and had to make them. Thank goodness I froze 3/4 of the pan to take out later this month. To die for!

  18. Jan says:

    Made these last night and they are all gone! These are amazing!..just sayin.

  19. Maureen says:

    I made these bars with the frosting a few times. There is a bakery that is now closed but they had a ginger cookie that my husband loved. These bars remind him of those cookies so he loved these bars a lot.

  20. Christine says:

    “Brown sugar” is listed as an ingredient. Is that dark or light brown sugar?

  21. Cyd Adamson says:

    We usually use light. But either will work just fine.

  22. Cynthia Wilson says:

    I just baked a pan of these as a "trial run" before gifting to three of my favorite nieces and nephew. PERFECTION IN A PAN!! I love the flavor, they cut very nicely (I have LARGE cookie cutters)...This recipe is a keeper for years to come!

  23. Elle B says:

    Glad to see this on here! One of my favorite recipes from your book, along with the Andes Grinch-Mint cookies. I go to your book first around the holidays for a new item to add to my holiday baking every year!

    Gingerbread Cookie Bars Recipe (3)

  24. Momma Cyd says:

    Hi Elle. Tis the season for holiday baking. We love these Gingerbread cookie bars. We are so happy to hear that you make them as part of your holiday baking.

Gingerbread Cookie Bars Recipe (4)

About The Author:

Camille Beckstrand

Camille Beckstrand is married to Jared and they have 4 kids. She loves a good true crime podcast, a big plate of cheesy loaded nachos, and going on adventures with her family.

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Gingerbread Cookie Bars Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? ›

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? Soft gingerbread biscuits are ideal. They ought to be flexible. However, they should still be somewhat elastic, and if you hold them too firmly because you're so excited to eat them, you might even be able to leave your fingerprints on the cookie!

Why do my gingerbread cookies fall apart? ›

From doubling up on molasses to using too much flour, there is a lot that can go wrong. Forgetting the molasses resulted in a crumbly cookie that was light in color. Combining all ingredients at once created lumps in the finished product.

Why is my gingerbread cookie dough so dry? ›

Not enough liquid

First, try adding more liquid to the dough. This could be milk, water, or even just additional eggs. If that doesn't work, you could also try melting some butter and adding it to the dough. Sometimes all your dough needs is a little extra fat to help it come together.

Why are my ginger cookies so hard? ›

“There are some gingerbread recipes that are hard right after baking and need to sit for a few days to soften. Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.”

What are the three types of gingerbread? ›

The three distinct types of gingerbread are brown gingerbread, wafer-based gingerbread and honey gingerbread.
  • BROWN GINGERBREAD.
  • WAFER GINGERBREAD.
  • HONEY GINGERBREAD.

How to know when gingerbread cookies are done? ›

Bake 6-8 minutes. This will vary depending on the size of the cookie and your oven. The cookies are done when they puff slightly and start to crack, and when you touch them lightly with your finger the cookie springs back.

What is the secret to soft cookies? ›

The lower the protein, the softer your cookies will be. All-purpose flour is a medium-protein flour, making for mediumly-soft cookies. Cake flour is low in protein and you can substitute it into cookie recipes for all-purpose flour 1:1. The results will be very tender cookies.

How to harden gingerbread? ›

My suggestion is to put it back into the oven for up to 10 minutes. The temp of the oven should be around 325 degrees.

How do you firm up gingerbread dough? ›

Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours to allow the dough to firm up, and up to three days ahead.

Why are my gingerbread cookies puffy? ›

Q: Why are my cookies so puffy and cakey? Whipping too much air into the dough. That fluffy texture you want in a cake results from beating a lot of air into the room temperature butter and sugar, and it does the same for cookies. So don't overdo it when you're creaming together the butter and sugar.

Do gingerbread cookies harden as they cool? ›

Gingerbread Cookies are done when they are set and begin to brown slightly at the edges. They will harden further as they cool, so avoid overbaking so you don't end up with hard, crunchy gingerbread! Underbake slightly to achieve soft, slightly chewy gingerbread cookies.

How sticky should gingerbread dough be? ›

Dough should be soft (not dry or crumbly) but not sticky. If sticky, add a few tablespoons of flour until desired consistency is achieved.

What is the difference between ginger snaps and gingerbread cookies? ›

They're known for their crisper quality; their “snap” if you will. Introduced in colonial times, the main differences between Gingerbread and Ginger Snaps are a longer bake time for an extra crisp and the use of molasses versus sugar.

Why are my ginger cookies bitter? ›

However, with that amount of baking powder, your cookies (or any baked goods in which you substitute baking powder for baking soda) may end up with a pronounced bitter taste.

Why didn t my ginger molasses cookies crack? ›

Why don't my molasses cookies crack? Molasses cookie dough won't have those signature cracks on top if the dough is too wet. The cracks happen when the surface of the dough dries up. Rolling in sugar really helps this because the sugar binds the moisture and dries out the dough.

Is gingerbread supposed to be hard? ›

Gingerbread biscuits can be hard or soft, so if you want to make decorations, you'll need a recipe that will set hard and be very dry. The drier the biscuit is, the longer the icing will keep its original colour and stay hard. If the biscuits are soft, the icing will start to suck up moisture and colour over time.

How hard should gingerbread be? ›

Gingerbread is supposed to have crisp edges and a soft centre, overworking the dough will make them tough – and nobody wants that! Chill your dough in the fridge before you roll it out, this relaxes the gluten in the dough and makes it easier to handle.

Should cookies be hard or soft? ›

You can take a bite or break off a piece. Either way, when you taste it, you'll know for certain if it's done. A cookie that's fully done shouldn't be doughy, nor should it be overly crunchy (unless you're making a really crunchy type of cookie). It should be soft, crumbly, and perfect when freshly baked.

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