Craving gingerbread but don’t have time to make those cute, little gingerbread men? Try these quick and easy, soft glazed Gingerbread Bars.
It’s snowing this morning for the first time this winter and it is giving me all the joyful Christmas feels.
I want to curl up under a blanket with hot chocolate, listen to Christmas carols, bake cookies, wrap presents, go on a snowy walk outside, stamp our Christmas cards, and decorate for Christmas.
I can get all of that done today, right? At least it will be fun to try!
Gingerbread Bars
I made these easy gingerbread bars a few days ago when the baking bug bit, even though I said I was done baking Christmas treats for the year.
They were so good, I wound up making them again yesterday and tweaking the recipe a bit so they are even better.
I hope that you love these as much as we do!
Gingerbread Bar Ingredients
- butter
- brown sugar
- molasses
- egg
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
- ground cloves
- ground nutmeg
How To Make Gingerbread Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl cream together the butter and brown sugar, beat in the molasses and egg.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until well combined.
- Press into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs. Let cool completely before glazing.
- To make the glaze, mix together the powdered sugar, vanilla and enough of the milk to make a smooth consistency that is easy to drizzle. Drizzle onto cooled bars. Cut into squares.
Soft Glazed Gingerbread Bars
Ingredients
For the Gingerbread Bars
- ½ cup softened butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-3 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl cream together the butter and brown sugar, beat in the molasses and egg. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until well combined.
- Press into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs. Let cool completely before glazing.
- To make the glaze, mix together the powdered sugar, vanilla and enough of the milk to make a smooth consistency that is easy to drizzle. Drizzle onto cooled bars. Cut into squares.
Nutrition
{originally published 12/9/17 – recipe notes and photos updated 10/13/21}
Here are a few more gingerbread treats to try:
Gingerbread Loaf from Tastes of Lizzy T
Classic Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake from Dinner, then Dessert
If you prefer gingerbread flavors in cookie form, check out my soft Molasses Crinkle Cookies!
Jody says
This is the BEST gingerbread bar I’ve ever come across. I’m not even a huge gingerbread fan and I LOVED this! Gooey throughout with a crispy top. Thanks for sharing!
Mallory says
Thanks, Jodi. I’m glad you loved them.
Steve says
Cool recipe
Barb cramer says
I loved these bars. They are like a ginerbread brownie. So crazy good! I plan on making them more often. Thanks.?
Barb cramer says
I loved these bars. They are like a ginger bread brownie. So crazy good! I plan on making them more often. Thanks.?
V says
Tried this recipe tonight using my stand mixer. I’ll add more ginger and cinnamon next time. Made it in a 9×13 and cut it into 16 squares.
Lauren@thechocolatesunflower says
I love the taste of gingerbread anything however I am not a huge fan of the crunchyness of alot of the gingerbread cookies I have tried. I am so excited to try these!
Kelly Mahan says
This recipe looks just like the one my mom used to make. I’m definitely going to try it, I bet it’s delicious!
Sarah says
These are my favorite! Any chance you have ever frozen them?! How did they hold up?
Mallory says
Yes. They freeze well!
Stephanie says
I love this recipe because it offers the deliciousness of gingerbread without the pain of rolling and cutting gingerbread men. Plus, it stays moist and there’s no risk of overcooking (unless you really forget about it in the oven).
Tip: wet your hands when it’s time to press the dough into the pan. That keeps the dough from being VERY sticky on your hands.
Sarah says
Question- do you mean light brown sugar or dark brown sugar? Usually when a recipe calls for brown sugar it means light but I’ve heard dark brown sugar is used for gingerbread. Can you tell me which one I should use? Thank you!
Ashlee says
I didn’t bake the bars, but I needed a quick glaze that would set for my gingerbread men because they seemed a little dry and this worked! Thank you!
Vicki says
Theses were so good…I was craving something sweet, and I’ve been wanting gingerbread…these were perfect to satisfy my craving. Husband, who wouldn’t choose gingery treats as his first choice, couldn’t leave them alone either, and he and my son ate the vast majority. I did get a few squares!!
Ivy Rogoff-Barnes says
Planning on making these for a large cookie tray I am bringing to a family Thanksgiving gathering. Just wanted to ask: should I use light or dark brown sugar (or does it not matter)?
Excited to try these, they look delicious.
Mary says
I typically use light brown, but you can use either here. With the additional molasses, it’s going to work like dark brown sugar really. The darker sugar will simply increase the gingerbread flavor a bit. Happy baking!
Candace Reisinger says
Easy and delicous!
Mary says
Thank you, Candace.
Sue Wilson says
These are delicious!!
I do have a question…in your glaze did you put white food coloring to make it less translucent?
Mary says
I did not, Sue. If your glaze looks translucent, there may be more liquid proportionally.