These bars. I adore them! Gingerbread Cookie Bars are a soft, holiday flavored treat. The milk chocolate and white chocolate chips are a great little compliment to the gingerbread flavor. These bars also paired so wonderfully well with cream cheese frosting!
The original recipe comes from the lovely ladies over at Six Sister’s Stuff. Now, about that cream cheese frosting. Not that I have ever had a tendency to over-frost anything in my life ever, but I may have gone a little bit overboard on the Gingerbread Cookie Bar to cream cheese frosting ratio. Not to worry though, I will adjust my frosting recipe to reflect a little better proportions. The great thing about frosting is you are always welcome to use as much or as little as you want. Personally, I love having a little extra frosting in the fridge to eat with a spoon when occasion requires.
I whipped up these Gingerbread Cookie Bars while I was at my parent’s house last week. During my visit, my sister and I helped my Mom decorate for Christmas. Included in that decorating was picking out which Christmas dish sets to pull out. My mom has many sets of beautiful Christmas dishes, and this gold-tipped poinsettia set these bars are featured on just happens to be my most favorite set. When I was a kid, my Mom always reminded me we couldn’t put the dishes with the gold tips in the microwave. She explained what would happen if I did, but sometimes you forget. I still remember the day I learned through practical, personal experience I should never EVER place them in the microwave.
Let’s just say my older sister RE-learned why she should never put the gold tipped plates in the microwave last week, in the same way I learned it as a kid. Aren’t older sisters a riot?
Gingerbread Cookie Bars not only taste like Christmas, but are a quick and easy way to feed a crowd. The recipe can be easily doubled for a regular sized cookie sheet.
I can’t believe how quickly Christmas is approaching and wish there was more time to share more recipes for your festivities! I hope you enjoy these bars!
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- Christmas sprinkles, optional
- 1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 pan. In a large bowl beat butter, brown sugar, sugar, vanilla and molasses. Beat until creamy. Add vanilla and mix. Add egg and mix.
- 2. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Gradually add to wet ingredients. Combine well. Add milk and white chocolate chips and mix. Place in greased pan and bake 15-18 minutes. Let cool.
- 3. To prepare the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy and smooth, at least 1-2 minutes. Add the vanilla and then mix. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all the ingredients are added, I turn the mixer on medium speed and let it beat the frosting for 3-5 minutes, until it turns from the off-white color to more of a stark white color. Beating it this long gives the frosting a much more fluffy, soft, and smooth texture. I always do this for my cream cheese frosting. Frost the bars as generously as you desire. Add Christmas sprinkles if desired! Enjoy!