Gingerbread Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting. Soft molasses-ginger cookie bars finished with a tangy cream cheese frosting. The formula and timing below are working estimates for a future kitchen trial, not a claim that a batch has been made.
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A pan of spiced cookie squares
These are a pressed cookie dough bar rather than a tall gingerbread cake. Molasses supplies its deep color, ginger and cinnamon carry the spice, and a thin cream cheese layer sharpens the sweet finish.
The scratch formula has not been baked in the Chefly kitchen. The height, crumb and 160°F texture need a trial before a publication date is assigned.
Choose the right molasses
Use unsulfured molasses, not strongly bitter blackstrap. A quarter cup is measured for the dough; the brown sugar is packed so the bar has a repeatable sweetness.
Keep half the butter for the base and the remaining quarter cup for the frosting. Accidentally creaming all three-quarters cup into the dough would leave no frosting fat and change spread.
Ingredients for 16 bars
| Ingredient | Amount | Use |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 2 cups | Cookie base. |
| Ground ginger | 2 teaspoons | Cookie base. |
| Ground cinnamon | 1 teaspoon | Cookie base. |
| Baking soda | 1/2 teaspoon | Cookie base. |
| Fine salt | 1/2 teaspoon | Cookie base. |
| Unsalted butter, softened | 3/4 cup | Half cup for base, quarter cup for frosting. |
| Light brown sugar, packed | 3/4 cup | Cookie base. |
| Unsulfured molasses | 1/4 cup | Not blackstrap. |
| Large egg | 1 egg | Cookie base. |
| Cream cheese, softened | 4 ounces | Frosting; keep refrigerated. |
| Confectioners' sugar | 1 cup | Frosting. |
| Vanilla extract | 1/2 teaspoon | Frosting. |
Step-by-step method
- Heat oven to 350°F and line a 9-inch square metal pan. Whisk 2 cups flour, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Cream 1/2 cup softened butter with 3/4 cup packed brown sugar; beat in 1/4 cup molasses and one egg. Fold in flour mixture just until no dry pockets remain. Press evenly into pan.
- Bake approximately 25–28 minutes until edges set and the egg-containing center reaches 160°F. Cool in pan about one hour; note final texture at that endpoint in a test.
- Beat remaining 1/4 cup softened butter with 4 oz cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Spread on cool bars, refrigerate about thirty minutes to set, then cut four by four.
Press and bake evenly
Line the nine-inch pan for a clean lift. A spatula or lightly damp fingers can spread a stiff dough toward the corners without overworking it.
Start checking near twenty-five minutes. The center needs to be set and reach the egg-dish safety guidance; a browned edge alone is insufficient, while extra baking can dry the cookie.
Frost only a cooled slab
Softened cream cheese and butter beat together before sugar goes in. If the slab is warm, frosting melts into an uneven coat. Chill briefly for neater cuts.
If frosting seems loose, test cream-cheese brand and temperature before adding an unspecified amount of sugar; the published ratio must remain cookable.
Serve and refrigerate
Cut sixteen modest squares. A frosted bar contains fresh cheese, so cool and refrigerate promptly rather than describing it as a room-temperature gift-box cookie.
The ninety-minute additional time covers cooling and setting. Record texture after refrigeration and how far ahead these bars can be cut without smearing.
Bar questions
Can I use blackstrap molasses?
Not without a flavor trial; it is much more assertive than the specified unsulfured kind.
Are these cake squares?
No. The dough is pressed into a pan for a cookie-like bar.
Why chill after frosting?
A short chill firms the cream-cheese layer for a cleaner cut.
Further reading and related Chefly recipes: Betty Crocker gingerbread cookie bars; FDA safe food-handling temperatures. These are relevant references and other dishes, not evidence that this proposed formula was tested.
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Gingerbread Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting. Category: Bars. 16 bars. Prep approximately 25 minutes; cooking approximately 28 minutes; additional cooling/chilling approximately 90 minutes; total approximately 143 minutes excluding preheat. Not kitchen-tested; nutrition not calculated.
Ingredients: 2 cups All-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons Ground ginger; 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon Fine salt; 3/4 cup Unsalted butter, softened; 3/4 cup Light brown sugar, packed; 1/4 cup Unsulfured molasses; 1 egg Large egg; 4 ounces Cream cheese, softened; 1 cup Confectioners' sugar; 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract.
Instructions: Heat oven to 350°F and line a 9-inch square metal pan. Whisk 2 cups flour, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Cream 1/2 cup softened butter with 3/4 cup packed brown sugar; beat in 1/4 cup molasses and one egg. Fold in flour mixture just until no dry pockets remain. Press evenly into pan. Bake approximately 25–28 minutes until edges set and the egg-containing center reaches 160°F. Cool in pan about one hour; note final texture at that endpoint in a test. Beat remaining 1/4 cup softened butter with 4 oz cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Spread on cool bars, refrigerate about thirty minutes to set, then cut four by four.
Allergens: Wheat; Egg; Milk. Review packaged ingredients and cross-contact before serving.
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Gingerbread Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Total Time: 143 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
Description
Sixteen small gingerbread cookie bars with cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Fine salt
- 3/4 cup Unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup Light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup Unsulfured molasses
- 1 egg Large egg
- 4 ounces Cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup Confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F and line a 9-inch square metal pan. Whisk 2 cups flour, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Cream 1/2 cup softened butter with 3/4 cup packed brown sugar; beat in 1/4 cup molasses and one egg. Fold in flour mixture just until no dry pockets remain. Press evenly into pan.
- Bake approximately 25–28 minutes until edges set and the egg-containing center reaches 160°F. Cool in pan about one hour; note final texture at that endpoint in a test.
- Beat remaining 1/4 cup softened butter with 4 oz cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Spread on cool bars, refrigerate about thirty minutes to set, then cut four by four.
Notes
Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.
Additional chilling, resting or cooling time: 90 minutes, included in the total.
Untested estimate: 25–28-minute bake, about 60-minute cooling and 30-minute frosting set; preheat excluded.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Chilling, resting or cooling: 90 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Category: Bars
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One square