Chewy Gingerbread Bars with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
Chewy Gingerbread Bars with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

Chewy Gingerbread Bars with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

5 from 1 reviews
Chewy Gingerbread Bars with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This is the perfect gingerbread: chewy, moist, and spicy! The edges of the pan are the best part (and if you love them like I do, this recipe can also be made in a muffin tin)! The sweet pumpkin cream cheese frosting on top rounds out the flavors in the nicest way, but it's a soft icing, so your rosettes won't hold up long. Pipe 'em, eat 'em! To toast pecans for this recipe, just bake them on a foil-lined baking sheet for 6-8 minutes, tossing periodically, until fragrant. Allow them to cool before using.
Author:
Serves: 16
Ingredients
Gingerbread Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup unsulphered light molasses
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • pinch salt
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened but not all the way to room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • toasted pecans and sprinkled cinnamon for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with a parchment sling (like this, but with parchment paper) sprayed with a little extra cooking spray.
  2. Melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave for a minute. Let it cool a bit so it doesn’t cook the egg, then whisk in the egg, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla extract, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in the flour until just combined. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 28-32 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the middle cookie cup comes out with moist crumbs but no liquid batter. Be careful not to overbake. Let the gingerbread cool completely (I even stick it in the fridge to help it along.)
  3. Make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and mix until fully combined. Remove the completely cooled gingerbread from the pan to a cutting board, using the sling to help. Cut the bars into 16 squares and use a pastry bag fitted with a big star tip to pipe a rosette on each. Sprinkle with cinnamon and top with pecans (if desires) and serve immediately.

 

5 Comments on Chewy Gingerbread Bars with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. Ramona W
    October 26, 2015 at 9:25 am (9 years ago)

    A definite must make dessert this fall! I know my family will really enjoy it. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Patricia @ Grab a Plate
    October 26, 2015 at 7:37 pm (9 years ago)

    Sorry – feel your pain – but that is hysterical! Great imagination 🙂 Love that these gingerbread bars are chewy and moist – and the frosting?! Yes!

    Reply
  3. Ace
    October 27, 2015 at 9:58 am (9 years ago)

    I may have just snorted my tea reading this. Our old neighbor was a very enthusiastic …. lover in a long distance relationship. He enjoyed long nights skyping using his lovely surround sound system that backed up to our bedroom wall. About once a month his girlfriend would visit and they would turn into energizer bunnies. It was delightful ???? Good luck!

    Reply
  4. Susanj
    November 2, 2015 at 9:14 am (9 years ago)

    I was so excited by this recipe, but the end result was disappointing. It was dense! As I was mixing, I wondered if it needed more leavening help than one egg would provide???

    Reply
    • Julie Ruble
      November 2, 2015 at 9:23 am (9 years ago)

      Sorry, Susan — I thought both the title (chewy) and the photos would accurately describe the texture. It’s not fluffy or light — it’s a dense, chewy bar.

      Reply

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