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 like these gingerbread blossoms, 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.
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.
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
These were so yummy and we loved the spiced cream cheese frosting. With my oven, the lowest cooking time was still a little too much. So I will have to figure that out next time. But trust me, I will be making this recipe again. Thanks!
Finally, a gingerbread bar cookie! Recipe was great, and the bars have a great flavor and texture. I took the suggestion of another commenter and tried the icing from the iced oatmeal cookies instead, and it turned out well. However, SO and I both agree it doesn’t need icing, so I’ll probably try a sprinkle of demarara next time.
My husband said, “what smells so good?” One of my new favorites.
I stumbled upon this gingerbread cookie bar recipe after throwing away two batches I made using another recipe and I am thrilled!!! I added 3/4 cup of raisins and, after baking, I drizzled lemon flavored glaze on top! This recipe is a keeper! Christmas baking made easy and delicious!
I wondered if instead of using all of those individual spices I could substitute pumpkin spice? I have cinnamon and ginger already, and I think that cloves, allspice, and nutmeg are already in pumpkin spice?
Hi Leah, it does have the same spices, but the ratios differ and would be tricky to figure out. Here’s a recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice so you can compare. Hope this helps!
Saving this recipe to make again! I brought this into the office and received many compliments on it, especially the cream cheese frosting. The only change I made was to omit the cloves because the grocery store went to was out. Also, at first I thought I over baked it. The end pieces were very hard! But I refrigerated it over night and then they were perfectly chewy.
Hi Sally! I have a silicone mold with individual “ginger people” Do you think this recipe would work if I pressed the dough in each cavity? As always thanks so much for your delicious recipes!
Hi Donna, we haven’t tested it, so can’t say what the bake time would be, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. If you try it, please let us know how it goes!
These are fantastic!!!! So much easier than cutting out cookie dough!
I love this Recipe, looks very straight forward and easy, definitely making for Christmas thanks for sharing
Made this today after eyeballing the recipe all week! It was wonderful! Love the black pepper in the spice mix; I use that in another ginger cookie recipe I’ve made for years, and it is so good and that little secret bam of flavor. Such a treat!
easy to make and VERY yummy
I’m so excited to try these! I’m including them in Christmas tins I’ll be mailing out for the holidays, so I’m changing out the frosting.
Any idea if this recipe doubles well?
Hi Amanda, you can double this dough.
Can you freeze these bars?
Hi Wendy, 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.
The spice and chew are just right. This will be my go to gingerbread from now on!
I made these today and took to work. I hear they were very much liked, but I didn’t get to find out because the whole lot disappeared! Very swiftly! I suppose I shall have to make some more…
Made these and substituted a lemon/ginger glaze for the frosting–just lemon zest + juice, some finely chopped crystallized ginger, and confectioner’s sugar. They turned out so well!
Hi Sally, these look delicious! Could I add white chocolate chips, like in your Soft White Chocolate Chip Molasses Cookies?
Absolutely! We would add 1 – 1 and 1/2 cups white chocolate chips.
This recipe was a huge success for my family! It was so, so delicious! I made two batches, one with regular flour and one with gluten free 1:1 flour. Not only did both batches disappear almost immediately, but everyone is also already wanting me to make more. The gluten free worked just as well and tastes the same. The only difference I saw was that it was a little stickier. These bars are seriously perfect! They have the classic taste of gingerbread without being too overpowering or too bland. They’re also not too sweet or sugary. This made them perfect to have for breakfast as well as dessert. My mom loves them so much, and said they taste perfectly nostalgic. The softness of the bars also make them a really nice texture. My sister has autism which makes her really big on texture and also really picky. She says that the bars are the perfect satisfying texture and that they’re her new hyper fixation. I didn’t end up making the frosting because everybody already loved the bars so much without it. The only thing we did do is sometimes people would dust their bars with confectioners sugar. Everyone should definitely try this recipe at least once! I’m definitely going to be making it again!
Love it for easy and flavor. We drizzled with white chocolate. I’m such a gingerbread fan.
I made these this week and we love them. I had some trouble with getting the frosting smooth. I didn’t have all the tiny lumps out of the cream cheese before I added the sugar. Then I could really see the lumps. I’ll be sure to make the cream cheese silky smooth first next time. But these are so yummy!
Sally, great job with this one. The flavor is excellent. I served these at a party last night and I had people begging for the recipe! They were the first dessert to go. Already have plans and requests! to make them again.
Hi Sally – Do you think a bit of minced fresh ginger could be added to the recipe for a wee bit more of a ginger “bite”?
Hi Marcie, that shouldn’t be a problem! Let us know if you try it.
Hi Sally! These sound amazing. I love the taste of orange with gingerbread. Do you think I could add orange zest, or orange juice to the frosting? You are my go to for all my baking recipes. Thanks!
Hi Maggie, you can certainly try! Orange zest would work well, and if you decide to try with some orange juice, you may need to increase the confectioners’ sugar to make up for the added liquid. Please do let us know if you give it a go!
Good morning. Where I live in South America, it is very difficult to find molasses anywhere. Is there anything I can use as a substitute that will not damage the recipe?
Hi Katherine, Molasses is a key ingredient in gingerbread recipes and, unfortunately, there isn’t a perfect substitute. Some readers have reported success using treacle or honey in our other gingerbread recipes, but note that the flavor profile will be different. Let us know if you give it a try.
In using a cream cheese frosting is it necessary to store the cookies in the refrigerator?
Yes, see step 9.
I was very skeptical at first but these came out so good! I used the entire cream cheese block in the frosting as I love that cream cheese flavor. I’m obsessed with the finished product especially cold right out of the fridge.
I have a question! I want to try swirling the cream cheese through the bars and then bake them… Would that work? And would I need to change the cooking time? Thanks!!
Hi Bobbi, the two are completely different textures, and I’m just really unsure of the final result. I’m not sure either will cook properly. But let me know if you try it!
Love the taste, but found the icing quite “runny and soft” even after 2 hours in the fridge. Maybe it needs longer?
Hi Brenda! Did you use full-fat block-style cream cheese? Anything else will be too thin in the frosting.
Yes I used full fat cream cheese in a block.
My husband and I made these yesterday and they are so good! They taste just like a delicious cookie! Soft, slightly chewy cookie with warm creamy icing. Ahh so good! I can see myself making these whenever I need a little Christmas in my day throughout the year. So easy and comforting.
Was super excited to make this recipe for my friend who was coming for dinner as she loves gingerbread. I followed your instructions and ingredients and chilled the bars once iced to set the icing. I found the bars tough, maybe they should have sat at room temperature a little longer? The only thing I changed was the baking temp. I have a smaller apartment sized oven that runs hot, so I baked at 325 F for 20 minutes. Perhaps I should have shortened the baking time by another minute or two to keep them a little more moist. Suggestions?? Flavours were excellent, loved the spices in the icing too, although I would like it a little thicker. Will try them again for sure.
Hi Carol, thank you for giving these a try! How did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure it isn’t over measured, which can leave the bars feeling dry and heavy. You could also try shortening your bake time by just a minute or so next time. You’ll know they’re done when the top is set, but still look quite soft, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist (not wet) crumbs.
Hi Lexi, I did spoon and level the flour. Honestly, I think it’s my oven, I have to adjust it for most baked goods and even though I did adjust temp and time I think some further tweaking might be necessary. I think they were also a bit too cold when we tried them. I let the bars sit out a bit longer today and they are better. Thanks for your reply.