Gingerbread Bars
These gingerbread bars are thick, chewy, and packed with classic holiday spices. They’re easy to make, perfect for sharing, and deliver all the nostalgic flavor of gingerbread cookies without the fuss.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 minutes
- Total Time: 39 minutes
- Yield: 24 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (4g) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
- 2 teaspoons (4g) ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (3g) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5g) ground cloves
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup (200g) light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg (about 50g)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) unsulphured molasses
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- Optional Topping: 1/2 cup (90g) white chocolate chips, melted for drizzling
- Optional Topping: Festive sprinkles
- Optional Topping: Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy lifting.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves.
- In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and brown sugar until smooth and glossy. Add the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract; whisk until fully combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Switch to a spatula or wooden spoon and stir until just combined. The batter will be thick and sticky.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, making sure it reaches all corners.
- Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Do not overbake.
- Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- Optional: Once cool, drizzle with melted white chocolate and add festive sprinkles, or dust with powdered sugar.
- Use the parchment overhang to lift the bars out of the pan. Slice into 24 squares for party-size bites or 12 for larger bars. Wipe your knife between cuts for clean edges.
Notes
Do not overmix the batter for the best chewy texture. Check doneness at 22 minutes; bars should be set at the edges and soft in the center. Let bars cool completely before slicing for clean edges. Easily adaptable for gluten-free or vegan diets by using a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend and plant-based butter/flax egg. Bars freeze well for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (1/24 of recipe)
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 14
- Sodium: 110
- Fat: 6
- Saturated Fat: 3.5
- Carbohydrates: 24
- Fiber: 0.5
- Protein: 2
Keywords: gingerbread bars, holiday dessert, Christmas bars, chewy gingerbread, easy gingerbread recipe, festive bars, molasses bars, spiced bars, Sally's gingerbread, Christmas brownies