These soft and chewy gingerbread cookie bars are so easy to make—no dough chilling, no dough rolling, no cookie cutters required! They’re delicious plain, or topped with spiced cream cheese frosting. Skip the fuss and make gingerbread bars instead!
This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find it in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
One reader, Christi, commented: “These gingerbread cookie bars are so good, I found myself returning to ‘taste test’ them again and again—and that was before adding the spiced cream cheese frosting! The flavor and texture are irresistible! ★★★★★”
One reader, Rebecca, commented: “My husband and I made these yesterday, and they are so good! They taste just like a delicious cookie! Soft, slightly chewy, with creamy warm icing… I can see myself making these whenever I need a little Christmas in my day throughout the year. So easy and comforting. ★★★★★“
When you need a big batch of cookies but are pressed for time, cookie bars are the way to go. This dessert recipe makes a generously sized 9×13-inch pan of soft, chewy gingerbread cookie bars, perfect for sharing, especially at the holidays.
If you love the holiday-favorite flavors of warm spice and molasses, like you enjoy in gingerbread cookies and crisp molasses cookies, you’ll find those same cozy flavors here; but the texture is oh-so soft and chewy—like a gingerbread version of a brownie!
Why You’ll Love These Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- Cookie bars are super soft and chewy, not cakey
- Packed with that nostalgic molasses and spice flavor associated with the holidays
- Makes a large pan to serve a crowd
- No dough chilling, no dough rolling—no fuss!
- Quicker and easier to make than many cookie recipes
- Can add white chocolate chips or butterscotch morsels for texture variety
- Top with a layer of cinnamon-spiced cream cheese frosting
Unlike these soft molasses cookies, gingerbread latte cookies, or traditional gingerbread cookies, there’s no dough chilling, no rolling dough into individual balls or rolling out dough to cut into shapes (and then re-rolling), and no baking in batches. The only waiting you’ll have to suffer through is for the pan to cool for 1 hour before you cut them into bars. (I’m sorry!)
Simple Ingredients
Like with these favorite chewy chocolate chip cookies, using melted butter makes for the softest, chewiest bar cookies. I usually like to use melted butter in bar recipes like homemade brownies and blondies because the bars taste chewy, not cakey. I tested this recipe with creamed softened butter, and the baked result ended up looking more like a puffy sheet cake.
Here’s everything else you need for these gingerbread cookie bars:
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of this recipe.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda helps these bars rise as they bake, and we use a good amount of it to stand up to the heavy melted butter and molasses.
- A Generous Amount of Spices: Ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg; plus, a pinch of black pepper—the same secret ingredient I always add to pumpkin pie!
- Salt: Salt adds flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Sugar: Use a mix of brown sugar and white granulated sugar.
- Molasses: Use unsulphured; blackstrap is too bitter for these.
- Egg: An egg binds everything together.
- Vanilla Extract: For flavor.
White Chocolate Chips (Optional): If you love white chocolate chip molasses cookies, feel free to add some white chocolate chips to these bars, too. Fold them in as the last step in making the dough, just like we do with chocolate chip cookie bars.
Have I Mentioned No Dough Chilling?
Just melt, mix, press, and bake!
The dough will be slick from the melted butter, but should be easy enough to spread/press into the pan. Pat it down as best you can. It may seem like it isn’t enough dough, and the layer will be thin. But the bars rise as they bake.
Success Tip: Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang. Once the bars are cooled and frosted, simply lift the whole thing out using the parchment overhang. Set it onto a cutting board and slice. Easy!
Bake just until the top is set, and avoid over-baking. Cool the bars for at least 1 hour inside the pan before frosting and/or slicing.
Top With Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
These gingerbread cookie bars are fabulous on their own, but then again, a little frosting is always a good idea. My favorite cream cheese frosting is far from basic; it’s incredibly creamy, silky smooth, and has that subtle tang to it. We’re scaling it down, and also kicking the flavor up a notch by adding pinches of some of the spices used in the cookie bars. The result is similar to the spiced cream cheese frosting on these pumpkin bars.
And, of course, some sprinkles are the perfect festive accessory on top. I used gingerbread cookie-shaped sprinkles, something like these, and some Christmas-colored nonpareils. Here’s a 4-pack of Christmas sprinkles, and I really love these snowflake sprinkles, too. Lots of options!
If you’re not planning to frost these gingerbread cookie bars, I recommend sprinkling the top with coarse sugar or festive colored sugar sprinkles before baking. Because a little sparkle is always welcome at the holidays!
You could even top with a sprinkling of chopped crystallized ginger, like we do for these chocolate ginger sparkle cookies.
Sally’s Cookie Palooza
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page including:
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Andes Mint Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Shortbread Cookies
and here are 75+ Christmas cookies with all my best success guides & tips.
Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (includes cooling & chilling)
- Yield: 18-24 bars
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These soft and chewy gingerbread cookie bars are so easy to make—no dough chilling, no dough rolling, and no cookie cutters required! They’re delicious plain, or topped with spiced cream cheese frosting. Careful not to over-bake these; they’ll still feel and look quite soft on top, but the bars set as they cool. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- small pinch of ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I recommend dark)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (113g/80ml) unsulphured molasses (do not use blackstrap; I prefer Grandma’s brand)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 ounces (170g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- small pinch each of ground ginger, cinnamon, & allspice
- optional for garnish: sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Adjust oven rack to the center rack position. Line a 9×13-inch metal or glass baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to easily lift the bars out of the pan. Set aside.
- Make the cookie bars: Whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, pepper, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and molasses together until no lumps remain. Whisk in the egg and vanilla. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and mix with a large spoon or silicone spatula until no traces of flour remain. The dough will be thick and shiny. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and press it into a smooth, even layer. It may not seem like enough dough, and it will be a thin layer—that’s OK.
- Bake for 23–26 minutes or until the top is set but still looks quite soft and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with only a few moist crumbs. Err on the side of under-baking. Bars puff up in the oven, but settle and firm up as they cool. Allow the bars to cool in the pan set on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the confectioners’ sugar, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes until completely combined and creamy. Taste and beat in a pinch of salt if the frosting is too sweet. Spread the frosting on the cooled bars. Top with sprinkles, if desired. To help set the frosting, refrigerate for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Lift the bars out of the pan by gripping the parchment paper overhang; transfer to a cutting board and cut into squares. Cover leftover bars tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you skipped the frosting, cover and store plain gingerbread cookie bars at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to come to room temperature and continue with step 4. Baked and cooled cookie bars, with or without frosting, freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw bars overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Glass Baking Pan or Metal Baking Pan | Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Gingerbread Cookie-Shaped Sprinkles | Christmas 4-pack Sprinkles | Snowflake Sprinkles
- Can I Halve the Recipe? Yes, you can halve the recipe for an 8-inch or thinner 9-inch batch of bars. The bake time is about the same, but begin checking for doneness at 22 minutes. It can be difficult to halve an egg accurately, so I do recommend making the original 9×13-inch batch, and you can freeze extras.
- Butter: Avoid letting the melted butter cool for too long, otherwise your dough will be crumbly instead of soft (and your cookie bars can end up cakey). As soon as it’s melted, stir in the sugars and molasses as instructed in step 3.
- Molasses: I use and recommend unsulphured or dark molasses. (I like Grandma’s brand. The kind I use is labeled “original” molasses.) Blackstrap molasses is extremely bitter and not ideal in this recipe.
- Cream Cheese in Frosting: Use brick cream cheese, not the spreadable kind that comes in a tub.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Can I make half a recipe in an 8″x8″ pan? Should I use a yolk instead of a whole egg? Thanks!
Hi Anie! Our general rule for halving an egg is to crack it open, beat the yolk and white together with a fork, measure the volume (should be a few Tbsp), then use half.
I’m trying to read through all of the reviews to see if anyone has made this with GF flour. It keeps sending me back to the start of the reviews. Do you know if anyone has done this successfully?
Hi Danielle, we have not test it, but others have had success!
Hi Sally, this recipe sounds awesome. I don’t have powdered ginger, but I do have a jar of chopped (appears pulversized) ginger. Can I sub 2 Tbl. for the powdered?
Hi Donna, we haven’t tested this recipe with fresh chopped ginger, but that should work. We’re unsure of the exact amount needed, since powdered ginger is much more potent than fresh. Let us know what you try!
In this recipe, you call for 6 ounces or a full brick of cream cheese for the frosting. A full brick is 8 ounces. Which is correct?
Hi Donna! 6 oz is correct here. You want brick-style cream cheese, but not the whole brick.
I plan on making these tomorrow to take to a gathering. Do you think if i doubled the recipe and baked it in a 10×13 sheet plan that it would have good results?
Hi Sandy! You could double the recipe for a half sheet (12×18) pan if you have one. A 10×13 would be a little too small.
I made these last year, and loved them so much that now they are on the top of my list of Christmas goodies that are a “must have” for Christmas. I did not add the little gingerbread men sprinkles, as I couldn’t find them. Can you tell me where I can buy them, so my gingerbread cookie bars will be extra beautiful this year? Thanks so much.
Hi Diane! The sprinkles are linked in the special tools section of the Notes after the recipe – so glad you love these!
These are fantastic! I added golden raisins and skipped the icing when I made them for a foodie friend’s birthday. She loved them and asked for the recipe.
Omg! These are fantastic! Even hubby who doesn’t like gingerbread loves these. My friend said these were “beyond excellent “. Make these now!
Do you think that oil or applesauce could be used in place of the butter? I can not eat butter.
Hi Cindy, we are unsure of the results without butter, which is a key ingredient. Perhaps you could try coconut oil, with a different flavor. They may end up a little greasy.
These are soooo good! Do you happen to have the macros?
Hi Kendal, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I made these because I hate fighting cookie dough. My son requested gingerbread cookies of any kind. Naturally I jumped on these cookie bars. I think the first time I didn’t weigh my flour correctly and the dough wasn’t as thick as it should have been. Still turned out great. Second time was a charm and the consistence was much better. Followed this recipe as it is described. Other than not having my scales set correctly which messed me up a little. Only thing I did not use was the sprinkles and that’s a personal preference.
Sally! This recipe is SOOOO good! If I could rate it higher than five stars, I would! I made it for the first time a few weeks ago to satisfy a craving for gingerbread that I was having. It fulfilled every ounce of my craving with its chewy, buttery, gingerbready goodness! I made it again tonight after watching a cheesy Christmas movie (I do know it is February!) where one character was a baker and I suddenly just had to have gingerbread! 🙂 Sally’s Baking Addiction never lets me down!
Very good and much easier than rolling out cookies! I’ve made them a few times, once with cream cheese frosting but another time with white chocolate ganache. Delicious with both toppings, and especially delicious slightly warm.
If you like gingerbread, you’ll love these gingerbread bars. Soft, moist bars with strong gingerbread flavors balanced with the sweet frosting. Very tasty.
Pssst! Wanna make gingerbread fans out of the die-hard chocolate chip cookie crowd? Stir in 1-1/2 cups semi sweet morsels.
Also, used a pinch of mild New Mexico red chile powder in place of the black pepper. Deliciosos!
These were so easy to make and such a big hit, even my very picky husband loved them!!! Made several batches and will be a holiday favorite every year!
These are always SUCH a hit. Everyone loves them. Easy to make- perfect recipe.
These were loved by everyone! We all agreed – these are now a holiday dessert staple! 5 stars!
This is FANTASTIC! We had it at some friends’ home and WOW! It’s not super strong flavored in the ginger department so my wife loved it too. I’m fixing to make s batch right now to start off the new year in the right foot. You will not regret making this.
Wonderful flavor, chewy and delicious. I like to keep the bars out at room temp and store the frosting separate in the fridge. Then you can opt for frosted/non-frosted bars.
I was sent some Gingerbread bars for Christmas and I had never had them before. What a treat!!! I want to try and replicate them, but I want a little stronger gingerbread taste. I don’t have their recipe, but I was wondering do you ever put more spices in than you have listed in the recipe here? If so, which ones? Thank you so much!!
Hi Brenda, you can increase all the spices to fit your tastes.
I made it for Christmas Eve! My family loves it so much
I made this recipe for the first time for my family’s Christmas this year. There were tons of desserts available for people to eat, yet these disappeared first!! They were SO good and addicting. I will add the recipe to my Christmas baking list for probably all Christmases. The only thing I might say is add a quantity for spices in the frosting instead of “a pinch” because that is totally up to interpretation. However, we were able to make the perfect frosting for us so it turned out great. Thank you for this keeper!
One word-AMAZING!! Super quick and easy. Will be making these again….this week.
I decided to make these because I love gingerbread but hate rolling and cutting cookies. These were so good! The spice level was perfect and they were soft and chewy. Everyone at Christmas loved them. And they were so easy.
My family demolished the pan I made yesterday and I’m baking up another one today. So needless to say these are really good. I overmixed the frosting on accident so I made a simple glaze instead and they were still delicious.
Absolutely the BEST dessert or cookie I made this season! Spices and texture are perfect – if I only made one holiday sweet, it would be these.
I may have to get an oven thermometer because I needed about 28 min (kept checking and the sides were done but middle was still jiggling and no crumbs, more so smears on the tooth pick). Fingers crossed they didn’t dry out! Smells divine.