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Gingerbread Cookie Bars

Gingerbread cookie bars bake in a 9x13-inch pan for soft, chewy centers and lightly browned edges. Warm ginger, cinnamon, and cloves flavor these easy-to-cut bars.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
Cooling time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 39 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 160
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 0.75 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed light
  • 0.5 cup unsulphured molasses
  • 1 egg large, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2.5 cup flour all-purpose
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ginger ground
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon ground
  • 0.25 tsp cloves ground
  • 0.5 tsp salt kosher

Equipment

  • 1 9x13-inch baking pan
  • 1 electric mixer

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
  3. Line the pan with parchment paper with overhanging edges.
  4. Lightly grease the parchment.
  5. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
  6. Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
  7. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
  8. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low just until no dry streaks remain.
  9. Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan.
  10. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly browned and the center looks set.
  11. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
  12. Lift the bars out using the parchment.
  13. Cut into bars.

Notes

For neat bars, cool completely before lifting and cutting. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freeze for up to 3 months. A 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend may work as a swap.