Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 22-25 minutes
Total Time: 37-40 minutes
Yield: 24 bars
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients:
For the Gingerbread Cookie Bars:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
- ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk (discard the egg white)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz brick-style cream cheese, full-fat
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons whipping cream or milk
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and baking soda.
- In a separate large bowl, beat together the softened unsalted butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in the molasses and vanilla extract, and then beat in the egg and egg yolk.
- Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture about ½ at a time until well combined.
- Spread or press the cookie dough into the prepared pan. If pressing with your hands, lightly spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes, or until the sides are starting to pull away from the edges of the pan, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the bars fully in the pan.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Beat the softened unsalted butter until fluffy.
- Beat in the cream cheese until well combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat in the powdered sugar about 1 cup at a time, alternating with 1 tablespoon of whipping cream (or milk) until the desired sweetness and consistency are reached.
- Frost the cooled gingerbread bars, and optionally decorate them with sprinkles.
Enjoy your delicious Gingerbread Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting!