These Ginger Molasses Cookie Bars are dark and flavourful with warm spices of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom and topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting.
Spicy and comforting flavours of ginger and molasses are a favourite in the Fall and Winter months, especially around Christmastime. Just like my Spicy Ginger Cookies, these cookie bars pack a flavourful punch of spices. I didn't add the really spicy black pepper and chipotle pepper as I included in those cookies, but you could add some if you'd like! I would recommend starting with ¼ teaspoon of each.
These cookie bars are so simple and quick to bake up. This is so perfect for the busy Holiday season! For another simple yet delicious bar recipe for Christmas, try my Eggnog Cheesecake Bars next.
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Easy & Fast. No rolling individual cookies and baking batch after batch.
- Best cream cheese frosting. Equal parts butter and cream cheese make a fluffy cream cheese frosting.
- Pretty garnish opportunities. Fresh, dried, or sugared cranberries, sprinkles, or candied ginger are all great ideas for a pretty and festive garnish.
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make these gingerbread cookie bars with cream cheese frosting.
- Salted Butter - See substitution instructions below for instructions if using unsalted butter.
- White Sugar
- Egg
- Molasses - I recommend using unsulfered lighter molasses such as fancy molasses.
- Flour - All-purpose flour is great for these bars.
- Baking Soda
- Spices - Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom give these bars a wonderful gingerbread flavour.
- Cream Cheese, Butter, and Powdered Sugar - To make the fluffy cream cheese frosting topping!
See the recipe card for measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together the melted butter, white sugar, egg, and molasses.
Step 2: In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and spices.
Step 3: Add the combined dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients.
Step 4: Stir just until the flour mixture is fully incorporated.
Step 5: Press the dough into a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
Step 6: Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool before topping with the frosting.
Step 7: Blend together the softened cream cheese and butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Spread over fully cooled bars.
Hint: Like a brownie, these bars are a little difficult to gauge doneness. Try starting a timer for 25 minutes and then test with a toothpick and go from there, adding time until your desired level of doneness.
📝 Substitutions
Baking is a science so most ingredients cannot be substituted or omitted. However, here are some possible swaps to help you out in making this recipe.
- Salted Butter - If you only have unsalted butter, use the same measurement but add ¼ teaspoon of salt per ½ cup of butter to the recipe when you add the butter.
- White Sugar - In a pinch, brown sugar can be used for this recipe. It will only make these bars more gooey and flavourful.
- Spices - These spices can be adjusted based on what you have on hand. Don't have cardamom? Use additional cinnamon in its place or add nutmeg or allspice instead. I don't recommend replacing the ground ginger, however, as that is the source of ginger flavour in these ginger cookie bars. 😉
❄️ Storage
Store frosted bars in an airtight container for up to 3 days (must be refrigerated because of the cream cheese in the frosting). Take out of the refrigerator to warm up slightly before serving.
Unfrosted bars may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. As always, the quality of baked goods will be best immediately after baking and will lose quality as time goes on.
I have not tested freezing these bars.
💡 Top tip
Garnish these bars with fresh cranberries (as pictured), sprinkles, chopped crystallized ginger or dried cranberries, or plain with just the frosting on top. I recommend removing the fresh cranberries before eating as they are quite sour and only intended as a garnish. Use sugared cranberries or craisins if you would like to eat them with the bars.
❓ FAQ
A lighter unsulfered molasses is best for baking. I use and recommend "fancy" molasses. Avoid blackstrap molasses.
🎄 More Christmas Recipes
Looking for other recipes to make for the Holidays? Try these ones next:
If you tried these Ginger Molasses Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Ginger Molasses Cookie Bars
Equipment
- 9x9-inch baking pan
- parchment paper
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups & spoons
- silicone spatula
- electric handheld mixer
Ingredients
For the Bars:
- ½ cup salted butter* melted
- 1 cup white sugar*
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup molasses (I use fancy molasses)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
For the Frosting:
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
Instructions
To make the Bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter, sugar, egg, and molasses until well combined.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and spices. Add to the wet ingredients and stir just until fully incorporated with no streaks of flour remaining.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading it well into the corners of the pan and smoothing the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean and the top is no longer wet looking. Let cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack for at least 1 hour or to room temperature before topping with the frosting.
To make the Frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric handheld mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and butter on high speed for 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until incorporated before turning the mixer up to high speed and beating for another 1 minute or until fluffy and smooth. Spread the frosting onto the cooled bars using an offset spatula. Garnish if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- 1. If you only have unsalted butter, use the same measurement but add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the recipe when you add the butter.
- In a pinch, brown sugar can be used for this recipe. It will only make these bars more gooey and flavourful.
- These spices can be adjusted based on what you have on hand. Don't have cardamom? Use additional cinnamon in its place or add nutmeg or allspice instead. I don't recommend replacing the ground ginger, however, as that is the source of ginger flavour in these ginger cookie bars. 😉
Liz F.
Love these! They're such a cute, Christmas treat!! 😄 Merry Christmas!
Naomi Andres
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Liz! Thank you for leaving a comment!
Happy New Year!!
Naomi
Rozanne Mackey
Do these freeze well?
Naomi Andres
Hi Roxanne,
Yes, I believe this recipe would freeze well.
Let me know if you try it!
Naomi
Taryn
Finally got to do some Christmas baking, and these were first on the list. Wow! They are amazing--perfectly moist, perfectly spiced, and such a great treat for the holidays. Definitely recommend! Just watch that you don't overbake the edges; my edges were a bit crispy, but the inside was the perfect texture. 👌
Naomi Andres
Yay for Christmas baking, I'm so glad you loved this recipe!! Thank you for sharing that tip. 👌🏻
Naomi