All the flavor of your favorite gingerbread cookie, in bar form! These soft gingerbread cookie bars are quick to make—no refrigeration or rolling necessary! This post contains affiliate links.
Last year I turned my favorite sugar cookies into sugar cookie bars and never looked back. Oh my goodness—what a time saving hack. All the flavor, very little mess, and NO rolling. I decided to do the same with my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe! This recipe is an adaptation from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I’ve made a few adjustments to suit our taste. All you need to know is that they are full of ginger, cinnamon, molasses and nutmeg and make your entire home smell divine as they bake.
Unlike the gingerbread cookies that I make using this recipe, these do not need to chill before cooking. They also do not need to be rolled out or cut with cookie cutters!
Simply dump your dough onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with flour. This keeps your hands from sticking to the super soft dough.
Pat into the pan, adding more flour if necessary, and bake for 15 minutes. When you pull the pan out of the oven the dough may not seem quite set, but don’t worry, it will continue to cook and set up as it rests.
I use the same frosting for my soft gingerbread cookie bars that I use on my sugar cookie bars. It’s very basic; butter, vanilla, milk and powdered sugar. Beat together until smooth and pour over bars.
Spread the frosting over the bars and add your favorite holiday sprinkles. I LOVE cinnamon candies on my gingerbread cookies so I added a handful on my cookie bars.
Tip: when you cut the bars, use a sharp knife and clean the frosting off with a paper towel after each line of cutting. This makes for clean edges and beautiful sugar cookie bars when they come out of the pan.
Tip: Use an angled frosting spatula for perfect spreading!
Tip: I like using sheet pans instead of a casserole dish. These are my FAVORITE sheet pans to use for baking.
How many soft gingerbread cookie bars does this recipe make?
You can easily get 40 bars from one pan. Perfect for a crowd.
How many days will the sugar cookie bars stay fresh?
They are best eaten the day they are made, but will stay delicious and fresh for 2-3 days.
3 More Gingerbread Projects and Recipes You’ll Love
Gingerbread Cookie Christmas Countdown
White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnap Cookies
Soft Gingerbread Cookie Bars
(printable recipe)
Soft Gingerbread Cookie Bars
All the flavor of your favorite gingerbread cookie, in bar form! These soft gingerbread cookie bars are quick to make---no refrigeration or rolling necessary!
Ingredients
- 1 c butter room temperature
- 3/4 c brown sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 3 1/2 c. all purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 Tbsp. ginger
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 c. butter room temperature
- 1/4 c. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 3 c. powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
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Beat butter and sugar until creamed. Mix in egg and vanilla.
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Mix in baking soda and spices.
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Add flour, 1 cup at a time, until completely mixed.
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Dump dough out onto an ungreased baking sheet. 13" x 18")
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Sprinkle dough with a handful of flour to keep your hands from sticking as you press the dough into the pan. Continue to press until entire pan is evenly covered.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
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Allow to cool completely.
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While cookie bars cool, make frosting.
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Mix butter, vanilla, milk and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spread over cooled cookie bars. Add sprinkles.
Recipe Notes
Note: you may need to add more flour as you press the dough into the pan. Just add a couple of tablespoons as needed.
Note: if you use salted butter, no additional salt is necessary in this recipe. If you use unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp. salt to the recipe.
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