Gingerbread blondies are soft, chewy and filled with warm spices. They mix in one bowl and bake in an 8x8 pan. You’ll love how quick and easy they are to make. All the classic gingerbread cookie flavor in cookie bar form. Great for baking and gifting during the holidays.
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As a busy mama and self taught baker, I’m always in for a quick and easy dessert bar. I’ve been making blondies and bar cookies for decades. I know you will love that you use melted butter in this blondie recipe. No chilling or rolling cookies, simply mix the dough, spread in the pan and bake. Made with molasses, the spiced blondies have a nostalgic flavor that reminds me of Christmas.
Gingerbread is my favorite flavor of the holiday season. Whether in gingerbread sugar cookies, pumpkin gingerbread cookies, gingerbread scones, or gingerbread snack cake, I’m eating it every chance I can get!
Serve the spiced blondies with a cup of coffee, chai tea or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They also pack well and are perfect for taking along for cookie exchanges or holiday parties.
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🛒 ingredients that make these blondie bars special
Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.
I tested these gingerbread blondies a few times to get the soft, chewy, brownie-like texture I was going for. I originally tested these blondie bars with only granulated sugar, like my gingerbread sandwich cookies. This created a firmer, less soft, more cake-like bar. Since I was going for a brownie-like texture, I replaced the white sugar with dark brown sugar.
My testing also included changing the ratio of flour and I added an egg. The end result is beautifully spiced blondie bars. And your house is going to smell amazing while they are baking!
- Molasses ~ molasses brings robust flavor and comes in several varieties; from lighter to blackstrap molasses. I prefer a darker molasses and Wholesome organic is what I typically use in my kitchen. I have also used Grandma’s brand. The molasses helps with the chewy texture in the baked bars. Blackstrap molasses has a stronger and more bitter taste and I don’t recommend using it unless a recipe specifically calls for it.
- Brown sugar ~ The dark brown sugar also includes molasses and it brings extra chewiness and softness to these bars. If you only have light brown sugar that will work.
- Spices ~ ground cinnamon, ginger and cloves are the perfect blend of spices to give the best gingerbread blondie flavor.
- White chocolate ~ this ingredient is optional, but adds a little sweetness and pretty decoration to these blondies. You can drizzle the tops, dunk the tops or just leave them plain. As I always say, you do you!
🥣 how to make in photos
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F/177°C and line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
In a medium to large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and kosher salt until well combined. Scrape the bowl.
Then whisk in the eggs, vanilla and molasses. Scrape up and down the bowl as needed and whisk until combined.
Now whisk in the cinnamon, ginger and cloves until combined. Then add half the flour and use a spatula to combine until most of the flour is incorporated. Stop and scrape the bowl and then add the remaining flour, mixing until the batter comes together.
The batter is thick. Drop the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth to an even layer. An offset spatula is helpful here.
Bake in the preheated oven until the edges have lightly browned and a tester in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. You do not want a clean/dry tester, which means the blondies are over baked.
Allow to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack.
Once the gingerbread blondies have cooled, melt the white chocolate and drizzle it (or dunk them) over the tops of the blondies.
🆘 troubleshooting tips
For the best blondie bars, I recommend baking in a light colored 8x8 baking pan. Dark pans absorb more heat and can cause the edges to burn while the middle is undercooked.
Glass pans also distribute the heat differently and can have similar results to dark colored baking pans. If baking in glass, it’s recommended to lower the temperature by 25°F and bake for a few minutes longer.
This recipe for gingerbread blondies makes blondies with a brownie-like texture. To create this texture, be sure to not over mix the batter and don’t over bake! If you like a more gooey center, bake them a minute or two less. If you prefer a firmer, more cake-like texture, bake a minute or two longer.
Gingerbread blondies are easy to over bake due to their dark color, which will make them crunchy instead of soft. Bake until the edges are set and the middle still looks a little soft.
Remember your oven is different from mine and the baking time may be slightly different. I use this oven thermometer to ensure my oven is at the temperature I think it is.
💡 variation ideas
Garnish the tops of the baked gingerbread blondies with chopped crystallized ginger.
For a cream cheese drizzle, use the icing from my red velvet brownies.
If you like a layer of frosting on your blondie bars, lemon buttercream, cream cheese frosting (from my pumpkin snack cake) or brown sugar frosting (from my brown sugar cupcakes) would all be delicious.
🫙how to store
Store blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
The gingerbread blondies can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months. Allow to defrost at room temperature before serving (about 20 minutes).
Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make these soft and chewy Gingerbread Blondies. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Blondies
Gingerbread blondies are soft, chewy and full of warm spices. Easy, one bowl recipe with classic flavor. Great for holiday baking and gifting!
I highly recommend using weight {metric} measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Ingredients
gingerbread blondies
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (113g)
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed (150g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup molasses (70g)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (219g)
white chocolate drizzle
- 1.5 ounces white chocolate, chopped and melted (43g)
Instructions
- For the gingerbread blondies: preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C and line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper
- In a medium to large bowl, whisk together the melted butter (½ cup/113g), packed brown sugar (¾ cup/150g), granulated sugar (¼ cup/50g) and kosher salt (½ teaspoon) until well combined. Scrape the bowl.
- Then whisk in the eggs (2 large), vanilla (1 teaspoon) and molasses (¼ cup/70g). Scrape up and down the bowl as needed and whisk until combined, about 1 minute.
- Now whisk in the cinnamon (2 teaspoons), ginger (1 ½ teaspoons) and cloves (½ teaspoon) until combined.
- Then add half the flour (total flour amount is 1 ¾ cups/219g) and use a spatula to combine until most of the flour is incorporated. Stop and scrape the bowl and then add the remaining flour, mixing until the dough comes together. The batter is thick.
- Drop the batter (it’s thick) into the prepared baking pan and smooth to an even layer.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven or until the edges have lightly browned and a tester in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. You do not want a clean/dry tester, which means the blondies are over baked. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack.
- For the white chocolate drizzle: melt the white chocolate (1.5 ounces/43g) with your preferred method. I like using a double boiler. Drizzle the white chocolate over the tops of the blondies. If you want to cover the entire top of each gingerbread blondie, increase the white chocolate to 3 ounces/86g.
Notes
Use a dark molasses (I use Wholesome unsulphured), please avoid blackstrap molasses as it is too bitter for this cookie recipe.
Gingerbread blondies are easy to over bake due to their dark color, which will make them crunchy instead of soft. Bake until the edges are set and the middles still looks a little soft.
Store blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The gingerbread blondies can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months. Allow to defrost at room temperature before serving (about 20 minutes).
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 186Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 56mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 2g
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
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