Ah, cookie exchanges. Do people still do these? I know I’m invited to at least one per year and, not being an adventurous baker (plus being totally overwhelmed year-end with, just, stuff), I always struggle with what to bring.
If you are wrestling with the need to participate, but not the time to hand-decorate individual sugar-cookie wreaths, fear not, your financial advisor is the unlikely hero in your stress-dream story!
The secret? BARS. No, not where you’d like to be instead of baking. Cookies baked in sheet-pans so you can just cut them into pieces, put some sprinkles on top, and away you go!
I present to you…
Gingerbread Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients for Bars:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Ingredients for Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, and molasses until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir until just combined.
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center is firm.
- While the bars cool, prepare the frosting. Beat together the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, and beat until creamy.
- Once the bars are fully cooled, spread the cream cheese frosting over the top.
- Slice into squares and serve.