Gingerbread Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 Tablespoons butter softened
- 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla
- Optional: holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugars, vanilla, and molasses for about 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Mix in egg until completely combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, forming a soft dough.
- Spread dough evenly into prepared pan. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until darker in color and toothpick inserted comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Move pan to wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
- To Make the Frosting: While the bars cool, beat together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until creamy. Once cooled, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the bars and finish by generously sprinkling festive holiday sprinkles.
- Allow the frosting to set before cutting the bars into squares and serving.
Notes
Nutrition Info:1 bar: Calories: 212 | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Sodium: 145mg