Description
Festive gingerbread cookie bars deliver classic holiday warmth with rich molasses and warming spices. Perfectly balanced between chewy and crisp, these treats connect home bakers to cherished seasonal traditions you’ll savor with each delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (165 grams) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (85 grams) molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing Ingredients:
- 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Prepare the baking environment by heating the oven to 350F (175C) and lining a baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Create a spice blend by whisking together dry ingredients, combining flour with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, and incorporating baking soda and salt.
- In a separate mixing bowl, transform butter and brown sugar into a light, fluffy mixture by creaming thoroughly.
- Enhance the wet mixture by incorporating eggs, vanilla extract, and rich molasses, blending until ingredients are completely integrated.
- Gently fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing until a uniform dough forms without overmixing.
- Distribute the dough evenly across the prepared baking dish, ensuring a smooth, consistent surface.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, watching for golden edges and a set center.
- Allow bars to cool completely at room temperature, providing ample time for texture stabilization.
- Craft a silky icing by whisking powdered sugar with milk until achieving a smooth, pourable consistency.
- Drizzle the glossy icing over the cooled bars, creating an elegant finish.
- Slice into square portions and serve, revealing the soft, spiced interior.
Notes
- Enhance flavor by toasting ground spices briefly before mixing to release deeper, more complex aromatics.
- Swap traditional molasses with honey or maple syrup for alternative dietary preferences or lighter sweetness profile.
- Ensure butter is room temperature for smoother, more even blending when creaming with brown sugar.
- Adjust baking time by 2-3 minutes if using different pan sizes to prevent over or underbaking, checking with toothpick for moist crumbs.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 16
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg