Iced Gingerbread Bars

By Nanasjoy

Soft, chewy, no rolling pin involved, and loaded with rich molasses and ginger flavor. There are also no eggs which could be helpful if you need an egg-free holiday dessert. I'm not shy with the spices because there's nothing worse than bland and the bars are robustly flavored without being overpowering. However, if you're very sensitive to spices dial things back a bit. Sweet icing compliments the warming spices beautifully.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (don't overmeasure)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup medium or mild molasses (don't use blackstrap, too harsh)
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 about 2 teaspoons water, cream, or milk

Details

Preparation time 5mins
Cooking time 5mins
Adapted from averiecooks.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8x8-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.

Add the flour (don't overmeasure or hard-pack the flour or bars will be dry and crumbly), baking soda, and beat to combine. Mixture will be dry.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until center is just set. Edges will be pulling away slightly from pan; don't over-bake because bars firm up as they cool. Place pan on a wire rack to cool for about 45 minutes before adding the icing.

Evenly drizzle icing over bars, noting you will likely have extra. Alternatively, pour icing over bars for complete coverage. Icing will set up in about 15 minutes. I recommend waiting until it sets up before slicing and serving. Bars will keep airtight at room temp for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.