Gingerbread Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

These gingerbread cookie bars are soft and chewy, perfectly spiced with gingerbread flavor, and topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting!

Trust me when I tell you that you are going to LOVE these gingerbread cookie bars! I made these last year but ran out of time to share them with you. I made them again this past week and I’m pretty sure these are going to be a staple from here on out. Believe it or not, I think these gingerbread bars are one of my favorite Christmas cookies of all time! (And I’ve tried a lot of Christmas cookies!)

These gingerbread cookie bars are very quick to make and since they are baked in bar form you are able to avoid all the chilling and rolling and cutting that comes with traditional gingerbread cookies. You can have them mixed and baked in less than 30 minutes, then you just have to wait for them to cool to frost them.

The cookies are incredibly soft and chewy and full of deliciously spiced gingerbread flavor. Then you top them with fluffy cream cheese frosting which complements the sweetness of the cookies perfectly. I think they’d look really nice topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg, but my kids unanimously voted for Christmas sprinkles. 🙂

If you like gingerbread, you need to try these cute little bar cookies. They are definitely a favorite around here!

Yield: 24 bars

Gingerbread Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

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These gingerbread cookie bars are soft and chewy, perfectly spiced with gingerbread flavor, and topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Cookies:

• ½ cup butter, melted
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ⅓ cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13″ baking pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and molasses.
3. Add the egg and stir until completely incorporated.
4. Add baking soda, flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt and mix until well combined.
5. Spread dough evenly into the greased pan, pressing all the way to the edges. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Be careful not to overbake.
6. Make the cream cheese frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese together in a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla and mix well.
7. While mixing, gradually add in powdered sugar. Mix until creamy & well-combined.
8. Once the bars have cooled, frost the tops. Garnish with holiday sprinkles or a pinch of cinnamon.
9. Cut into squares and serve.

from the Six Sisters Stuff Cookbook