Description
Delight in these Spiced Gingerbread Cookie Bars, a perfect treat combining warm spices and molasses in a soft, chewy bar. Easy to prepare and baked until the edges are crisp and the center remains slightly gooey, these bars are an ideal festive dessert or snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 egg
Dry Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9×13-inch baking pan by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and molasses. Beat until the mixture is creamy, which should take about 1-2 minutes. Using a stand mixer is ideal as the batter becomes quite thick.
- Add Egg: Stir in the egg until fully incorporated into the creamy mixture.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Add baking soda, flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and salt to the wet mixture and mix thoroughly until a thick, cookie dough-like batter forms.
- Spread Dough: Spread the dough evenly into the prepared baking pan using a silicone spatula or your fingers, ensuring a uniform layer.
- Bake: Bake the bars in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Check for doneness—the edges should be crisp while the center remains a bit gooey. If necessary, bake a bit longer according to your oven’s performance.
- Cool and Serve: Let the bars cool completely in the pan before frosting (optional) or cutting into 15 squares. Decorate with holiday sprinkles if desired.
Notes
- For frosting, cream cheese or vanilla frosting pairs wonderfully with these gingerbread bars.
- Use a stand mixer for easier mixing as the batter is quite thick.
- Oven temperatures and baking times may vary; keep an eye to avoid overbaking.
- Molasses adds a rich flavor, but you can substitute with dark corn syrup if unavailable.
- Store bars in an airtight container to maintain freshness for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
