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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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{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!
Can I freeze them?
These should freeze fine.
This is absolutely a delicious recipe. I make it in a 9×13 pan after doubling the recipe and it is just out of this world.
I’m thrilled to hear it’s such a big hit!
Hi Mary, I am in the UK, what can I use in place of molasses?
These are delicious!!
I do have a question…in your glaze did you put white food coloring to make it less translucent?
I did not, Sue. If your glaze looks translucent, there may be more liquid proportionally.
Easy and delicous!
Thank you, Candace.
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.
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!
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!!