Gingerbread Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting is an amazing Christmas dessert. These chewy, fudgy, spicy bars, topped with cream cheese frosting are so easy to prepare and they look great on a cookie tray.
TO PREPARE GINGERBREAD – Preheat the oven to 350 F, spray 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
In a medium dish, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder and salt and set aside.
Meanwhile, beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a separate dish, at a medium speed, until it´s smooth. Then, add the egg and beat until it´s combined. Next, add molasses and vanilla and beat some more, until it´s incorporated.
Finally, combine it with dry ingredients and mix at low speed until it´s well combined. Press the dough into the already prepared baking pan and spread it evenly with your hands.
Gingerbread should be baked for 15-18 minutes. When it´s ready, take it out of the oven and leave in the baking sheet for a few minutes to cool, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
TO MAKE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING - mix cream cheese and butter until it´s smooth, then add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat, first at low speed, then high, until it´s fluffy. Spread the frosting over the cooled gingerbread and sprinkle. Cut them into squares, cover with plastic wrap, keep them in an airtight container.
Notes
If they are refrigerated, you can keep them for 3 days. At a room temperature, they can be kept for up to 5 days, but without frosting.