This post is sponsored in conjunction with ChristmasSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.
Every bite of these Gingerbread Bars with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting tastes like the holidays! You get all that gingerbread goodness you love in a soft bar, topped with maple cream cheese frosting and sprinkles – it’s holiday dessert perfection!
Happy Wednesday, friends! And welcome to day three of Christmas Sweets Week! I hope you’ve been enjoying all the great recipes from the past couple of days, but it’s just the beginning! I know I have quite a few new recipes to try already!
And the sponsors have been amazing, and given us so many great ingredients to use AND amazing giveaways for our readers to win, just in time for the holidays!! Be sure to enter below, if you haven’t already – you don’t want to miss your chance to win!
For these gingerbread bars with maple cream cheese frosting, I used Dixie Crystals light brown and powdered sugars, and LorAnn Oils and Flavors maple bakery emulsion – to make an amazing frosting that paired perfectly with the spices in the gingerbread bars. And then topped it off with the most adorable Christmas sprinkles form Sweets & Treats Boutique. I mean, just look at all that cuteness.
My dear husband, who is not much of a sweets fan (shocking, I know), ate quite a few of these. And liked them so much, that when I asked him if he wanted me to take them to work and get them out of the house, or leave a few of them at the house – he told me to leave them ALL at home. All of them. That, my friends, is a big deal. The toddler was quite fond of them, as well. But, who could blame her??
Gingerbread is definitely one of those flavors that just goes with the holiday season, but definitely shouldn’t be reserved for only the holiday season. It’s just too good to limit to such a short period of time. And these bars…THESE bars, should be shared as often as possible. All winter long. I’d even venture to say all year long. They are that good. And Sweets & Treats Boutique has so many sprinkle options, you could customize the cute toppings for any season! I’m just sayin’. But for now, let’s focus on the upcoming Christmas holiday, and your dessert table that needs to have these on them.
Perfectly dense and moist gingerbread bars, with soft and creamy maple cream cheese frosting, topped with adorable crunchy sprinkles. It’s the perfect dessert. Try them!
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway below and check out all the rest of today’s recipes at the bottom of the post!
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Gingerbread Bars with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut in 1 Tbsp pieces, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup packed Dixie Crystals light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, softened, but still cool
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened, but still cool
- 2 1/2 cups Dixie Crystals powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp LorAnn Maple Bakery Emulsion
- Sweets & Treats Boutique sprinkles, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together butter, brown sugar and molasses until combined.
- Mix in egg and vanilla extract. With mixer set on low speed slowly add in flour mixture and mix until combined. Fold batter with a spatula as needed until batter appears to be evenly incorporated.
- Push dough into prepared baking dish and spread and press into an even layer using your hands. (It will look a little shiny and “wet” – that is how it should be!)
- Bake in preheated oven until bars have baked through, about 14 – 17 minutes (be careful not to over-bake). Transfer baking dish to a wire rack and let bars cool completely.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Add in powdered sugar and maple bakery emulsion and mix until light and fluffy. Spread frosting over cooled bars. Top with sprinkles.
- Cut into squares. (I like to refrigerate for 10 minutes or so, to let the frosting firm up a bit, before cutting.) Store, covered, in refrigerator.
Slightly adapted from: Cooking Classy
#ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes:
Beverages:
Boozy Salted Caramel Apple Cider from The Beard and The BakerChristmas Punch from Juggling Act Mama
Frozen Caramel Hot Chocolate from Eat Move Make
Crockpot Red Velvet Hot Chocolate from April Golightly
Gingerbread Spice Caramel Latte from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Gingersnap Eggnog Shooter from Seduction In The Kitchen
Glogg from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Hot Buttered Rum from Moore or Less Cooking
Peppermint Hot Chocolate from Mildly Meandering
Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from The Bitter Side of Sweet
Salted Caramel Hot Apple Cider from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Sugar Cookie Cocktail from Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
Vanilla & Spice Hot Mulled Wine from The Baking Fairy
Candies:
Almond Roca from Everyday EileenChristmas Cookie Bark from The Mandatory Mooch
Creamy Cheese Fudge from Take Two Tapas
Grinch Fudge from An Affair from the Heart
Milk Chocolate Toffee Fudge from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
Reindeer Food Snack Mix from Big Bear’s Wife
Desserts:
Chocolate Mint Cookies from Platter TalkDark Chocolate Dipped Almond Shortbread Cookies from With Two Spoons
Gingerbread Bars with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting from Sweet Beginnings
Gingerbread Cupcakes from The Redhead Baker
Holiday Pavlova from My Suburban Kitchen
Hot Chocolate Whoopie Pies from Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
Joulutorttu (Finnish Christmas Tarts) from Tara’s Multicultural Table
Merry and Bright Marshmallow Filled Christmas Cupcakes from Lady Behind the Curtain
Minty Grinch Dip from Who Needs A Cape?
Oatmeal Maple Cream Pies from Blogghetti
Pecan Pie Cheesecake from The Crumby Kitchen
Peppermint Stick Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Red Velvet Cookies from Live Love Texas
Red Velvet Truffle Sugar Cookie Cups from The Spiffy Cookie
Santa Belt Cupcakes from 4 Sons ‘R’ Us
White Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies from Cheese Curd in Paradise
Thank you ChristmasSweetsWeek Sponsors: Dixie Crystals, Cabot Cheese, Lorann Oils & Flavors, Torani, Joyjolt, and Sweets & Treats Boutique for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The ChristmasSweetsWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Six (6) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The ChristmasSweetsWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the ChristmasSweetsWeek posts or entry.
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