Gingerbread cookie bars are full of classic gingerbread flavor without the fuss of rolling and cutting dough. They’re easy to bake in one pan and perfect for holiday cookie trays, Christmas parties, or whenever you want a festive dessert that feeds a crowd with less work.

Listen, I love to bake cutout cookies at the holidays.

I really do.

But sometimes, life is just too busy and you need a holiday dessert without spending hours rolling out and chilling dough, then icing and decorating cookies.

If that’s you, then these gingerbread cookie bars are just what you need.

They have that classic gingerbread flavor in a chewy bar treat that’s easy to bake, decorate and serve.

These gingerbread cookie bars are an easy way to make the season a little sweeter no matter the occasion.

Ingredients

To make these you’ll need a set of ingredients for the dough and one for the icing.

For the dough you’ll need:

Butter– Softened.
Sugar– Both brown sugar and granulated sugar.
Molasses
Baking soda– For leavening.
Flour– All purpose.
Egg– Let it warm to room temperature.
Spices– Ground ginger and ground nutmeg.

And for the icing you’ll need:

Sugar– Powdered.
Milk– You could substitute cream.
Sprinkles– Festive sprinkles.

How to Make

These gingerbread cookie bars are so easy to make and give you that classic gingerbread cookie flavor with so much less work.

Cream together the butter, both sugars, and vanilla with an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl.

Add the remaining cookie dough ingredients to the bowl and beat everything together until it forms a batter.

Transfer the cookie dough to an 8×8″ baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray.

Spread the dough out to all the edges so the dough makes an even layer.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, carefully take the hot dish out of the oven and let it sit and rest for 15-20 minutes.

While the cookie bars cool, whisk all of the icing ingredients together in a small bowl until it’s combined.

Spread the icing evenly out overtop of the dish, then finish it with some festive sprinkles on top.

Slice into squares, serve, and enjoy!

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers tightly wrapped in the baking dish or cut the bars and transfer them to an airtight container.

They will keep stored properly for up to 4-5 days on the counter.

Tips and Tricks

If you like your gingerbread a little spicier, you can add an extra 1/2 teaspoon to full teaspoon of ginger.
Letting the butter soften and the egg warm to room temperature helps the batter come together more easily.
Make sure to let the bars fully cool before you ice them. This keeps the icing from melting.
Feel free to jazz up the icing by mixing in some festive colored food coloring if desired.

Other Holiday Cookie Bars

Gingerbread cookie bars an easy way to enjoy the classic cookie without the hassle of cookie cutters.

Make them and enjoy!

Looking for other holiday cookie bar recipes?

Try these:

If you’ve tried these GINGERBREAD COOKIE BARS or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

Gingerbread Cookie Bars

Gingerbread cookie bars are full of classic gingerbread flavor without the fuss of rolling and cutting dough. They're easy to bake in one pan and perfect for holiday cookie trays, Christmas parties, or whenever you want a festive dessert that feeds a crowd with less work.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 25

Servings:

Calories: 366kcal

Author: Meaghan - The Quicker Kitchen

Ingredients

For The Cookie Dough

1 stick butter softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup molasses
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1 large egg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg

For The Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
1 - 1 1/2 tbsp milk
festive sprinkles

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the butter, both sugars, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat them together until creamy.
1 stick butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract
Add the remaining cookie dough ingredients to the bowl and blend everything together until evenly combined into a stiff batter.
1/3 cup molasses, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 cups flour, 1 large egg, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground nutmeg
Spray an 8x8" baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared dish and spread out to all the edges in an even layer.
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, then carefully remove the hot dish from the oven and let it sit and rest for 15-20 minutes.
Add all of the icing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together until evenly combined. Spread the icing evenly out overtop of the dish, then finish it with some festive sprinkles on top.
1 cup powdered sugar, 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp milk, festive sprinkles
Slice into squares, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

If you like your gingerbread a little spicier, you can add an extra 1/2 teaspoon to full teaspoon of ginger.
Letting the butter soften and the egg warm to room temperature helps the batter come together more easily.
Make sure to let the bars fully cool before you ice them. This keeps the icing from melting.
Feel free to jazz up the icing by mixing in some festive colored food coloring if desired.