Chocolate gingerbread cookie bars — the perfect excuse for tons of frosting

I have a love for all cookies, but I love them even more when they are in bar form. They are easy to make, and all this recipe involves is a mixer and a jelly roll pan — forming individual cookies not required. How simple and easy can that be?

These cookies are similar in flavor to a chocolate chip cookie, but with a gingerbread twist. Plus I topped them with a vanilla-molasses frosting. It’s the perfect Christmas cookie to bake up this holiday season.

Chocolate gingerbread cookie bar recipe

Yields 24

Prep time: 10 minutes | Bake time: 20-25 minutes | Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons molasses, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, divided
• 2 cups bittersweet chocolate morsels
• 1 container store-bought vanilla frosting

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F, and spray a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt, ground ginger and pumpkin pie spice, then set aside.
3. To the bowl of your electric mixer, add the dark brown sugar and butter. Beat on medium high speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy and combined.
4. Add in the 2 tablespoons of molasses, and mix to combine.
5. Add in the eggs, and mix until combined, making sure to scrape down the sides.
6. Mix in 1 teaspoon of the vanilla bean paste.
7. Slowly add in the flour until well incorporated.
8. Stir in the bittersweet chocolate morsels.
9. Add the cookies to the prepared pan, pressing to smooth out the batter and cover the whole pan.
10. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the cookies are browned around the edges.
11. Let cool before frosting.
12. To make the frosting, combine the vanilla frosting with the remaining 2 teaspoons of molasses and 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste.
13. Frost the cookies, then cut them into bars.

More gingerbread recipes

3-Ingredient gingerbread brownies
Spicy gingerbread loaf cake
Gingerbread biscotti