Make classic frosted gingerbread bars with molasses, cozy spices, and sweet eggnog frosting. A simple holiday dessert everyone loves!
I love love love making bars like these because they're easier than making cookies, no scooping required. They taste just like iced molasses cookies in bar form, with a lovely eggnog frosting on top, just like eggnog cinnamon rolls.
I have a recipe for double chocolate chip cookie bars that I love to put Christmas M&Ms in, but gingerbread cookie bars are a super fun one to make to add to the holiday cookie plate.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Taste: A soft, chewy gingerbread flavor with cinnamon, a little molasses, and ginger as the main flavors along with the creamy eggnog frosting.
- Ease: Mixing the butter/sugar, adding in the wet & dry ingredients, and spreading into a pan to bake! The frosting is super easy to put together too. Easier than scooping 24 cookies!
- Time: Less than 10 minutes to make the dough, and 20-25 minutes to bake.
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Salted Butter - I love salt and prefer salted butter in baked goods, it tastes much better.
- Molasses - use regular unsulphured molasses, blackstrap is too strong for a recipe like this unless you realllly like molasses flavor.
- Spices - I kept it simple with cinnamon, ginger, and allspice.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Use an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice in place of the spices.
- Use any fun holiday sprinkle you'd like!
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. In a mixing bowl, cream together softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar for about 3 minutes on medium speed until fluffy using an electric mixer.
- Step 2. Add in egg and vanilla and mix well for another 1-2 minutes until fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Step 3. Add in spices and molasses and mix well until it's incorporated completely.
- Step 4. Add in flour and baking soda last and mix 1 minute until all the flour pockets are gone and a very soft sticky dough forms.
- Step 5. Press dough into 9x13 inch baking pan prepared with baking spray or parchment paper. Bake for 23-25 minutes until middle is beginning to crack.
- Step 6. Make the frosting! In a small mixing bowl, combine softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla and mix until smooth, about 2 minutes. This is easier with an electric mixer.
- Step 8. Spread frosting over cooled bars and sprinkle with your favorite holiday sprinkles!
Make sure the cookie bars are completely cooled before trying to frost them, or the frosting will melt! You can speed this up by cooling them down for 10-15 minutes at room temperature then popping them in the fridge or freezer for another 10-15 minutes.
TIP: I like to spread the raw dough into the pan with parchment paper on top, it helps to reduce the mess! You can always press it into the pan with a cup or floured hands though.
📌 Troubleshooting
- My bars are doughy - Make sure your oven is up to the correct temperature using an oven thermometer! Also keep in mind that they are meant to be soft and slightly underbaked, not crunchy.
❄️ Make Ahead, Store, and Freezing Tips
Room Temperature: stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Freeze unfrosted for up to 3 months, then frost them once thawed. You can freeze the bars and frosting separately.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
I would freeze these unfrosted and then frost them once they've thawed. Freezing the frosting can change the texture.
Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes until set, then use a thicker dry knife and wipe between cuts.
Less eggs, slightly less flour, more butter, brown sugar, and molasses, and avoid overbaking so they don't get crunchy.
🎄 More Christmas Treats
Did You Try This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Make sure to leave a star rating and a comment below the recipe card. I love hearing from you, and it is so helpful to other readers! Better yet, share it with family and friends. Thank you!!
📝 Printable Recipe
Frosted Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Equipment
- 1 9x13 inch pan
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened 227 g
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves
- ⅓ cup molasses unsulphured
- 3 cups flour 405 g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the frosting:
- ½ cup salted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-3 Tablespoons eggnog or whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper or spray with baking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together softened butter, white sugar, and brown sugar for about 3 minutes on with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy.1 cup salted butter, 1 cup white granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar
- Add in egg and vanilla and mix well for another 1-2 minutes until fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Add in spices and molasses and mix well until it's incorporated completely.1½ teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves, ⅓ cup molasses
- Add in flour and baking soda last and mix 1 minute until all the flour pockets are gone and a very soft sticky dough forms.3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Press dough into 9x13 inch baking pan prepared with baking spray or parchment paper. Bake for 23-25 minutes until middle is beginning to crack.
Make the frosting;
- In a small mixing bowl, combine softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla and mix until smooth, about 2 minutes.½ cup salted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 cups powdered sugar
- Add in eggnog and mix until creamy and smooth.2-3 Tablespoons eggnog or whole milk
- Spread frosting over cooled bars and sprinkle with your favorite holiday sprinkles!
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Sara says
Shared with friends and their kids loved it too. A winner!