Gingerbread Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Skip the hassle of cookie cutters! These Delicious Gingerbread Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are soft, spiced, and topped with festive sprinkles. An easy holiday dessert that’s perfect for parties or cozy family gatherings!
The holidays always remind me of baking with my kiddos, especially when we bake my grandma’s classic gingerbread cookie recipe. While I love the tradition of rolling out dough and cutting festive shapes, sometimes I want the same nostalgic flavor without all the effort.
That’s where these Christmas Gingerbread Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting come in! This easy alternative transforms the rich, spiced flavors of my grandma’s gingerbread cookies into soft, chewy bars. No rolling, cutting, or decorating required—just bake, frost, and enjoy. Topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting, these bars are a quick and delicious way to bring the taste of tradition to your holiday celebrations.
Let’s Make Them Together!
- Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Set aside
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add egg, molasses and vanilla extract
- Slowly stir in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
- Spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with vegetable oil. Use your fingers to press the gingerbread dough evenly into the baking dish
- Bake at 350°F for 20-22 minutes
6. Remove gingerbread bars from oven and let cool
7. Make cream cheese frosting: cream together butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and milk using a handheld electric mixer
8. Frost the baked gingerbread with the cream cheese frosting using a silicone spatula
9. Scatter festive sprinkles on top of the cream cheese frosting
10. Cut into bars and serve!
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These bars remind me of why I love the holidays so much—simple recipes that bring everyone together around the table (or kitchen island) all talking and stuffing their faces with delicious food!!
I can already imagine making these again for our holiday parties—they’re sure to be a hit with friends and family!
Ohhh, these were so good! I’m ashamed to admit how many bars I ate! That cream cheese frosting just goes SOOO well with the spice of the ginger! OMG! So good…I’m going to need to wear this Christmas sweater into summer this year I think! 😉 Don’t be surprised if these gingerbread bars disappear faster than you can say, ‘Merry Christmas!’ They’re just that good.
The best part about these gingerbread bars is how versatile they are. Perfect for holiday dessert tables, cozy nights in, or even as a sweet homemade gift.
Don’t forget to snap a photo of your gingerbread bars and share it! I’d love to see how you decorate yours with festive sprinkles!
Recipe Card
Gingerbread Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Gingerbread Bars
- 2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 c butter
- 1 c light brown sugar
- 1/3 c molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 c butter
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2 c powdered sugar
- 2 tbs milk
Instructions
Gingerbread Bars
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- In a large bowl, combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and baking soda. Stir and set aside
- In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until creamy
- Add in molasses, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Blend until incorporated
- Slowly spoon in the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Stir until combined
- Spoon batter into a 9×13 glass baking dish. Use your fingers to press the dough down in the dish
- Bake for 20-22 minutes in a 350°F oven
- Remove from oven and let cool
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, powered sugar and milk with an electric mixer (go slowly when you add the powered sugar or you will have a mess!)
- Once the gingerbread bars have cooled from the oven, use a spatula to frost the gingerbread bars with the cream cheese frosting
- Serve and enjoy!
Give These Holiday Recipes A Try!
Gingerbread Boy Cookies: Grandma Dobberfuhl’s Recipe
Experience a cherished family tradition with these rich, molasses-infused gingerbread cookies, perfect for decorating with royal icing.
No-Fail Homemade Royal Icing for Sugar Cookies
Master the art of cookie decoration with this simple, three-ingredient royal icing recipe, ideal for adding festive touches to your baked goods.
Red Velvet Christmas Crinkle Cookies
Add a splash of color to your cookie tray with these soft, chewy red velvet crinkle cookies, a festive treat for the holiday season.
Classic Sugar Cookie Recipe
Bake up a batch of these versatile sugar cookies, perfect for cutting into festive shapes and decorating with your favorite icings and sprinkles.
Snowball Cookies aka Mexican Wedding Cookies
Delight in these bite-sized, nut-filled cookies coated in powdered sugar, a sweet addition to any holiday gathering.
so yummy!