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Gingerbread Snickerdoodle Bars |  |
An Easy Riff on a Long-Time Family Favorite. Real Food, Fresh & Inventive. One (Bowl) & Done (In One Hour). Just One Bowl. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Great for Food Gifts. Vegetarian. So Good!!
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About This Recipe: Gingerbread Snickerdoodle Bars
- "Snickerdoodles" are the classic butter cookie kissed with cinnamon. Along the way, Snickerdoodle Cookies turned into Snickerdoodle Bars. And now? By adding gingerbread spices, fresh ginger and a little molasses, those oh-so-easy snickerdoodle bars are all dressed up for Christmas, a holiday take on an old tradition.
- Distinctive Ingredients = Gingerbread Spices (ginger, cinnamon, cardamon, allspice, white pepper, cloves) + Fresh Ginger
- Short Ingredient List = all the above + butter + brown sugar + 1 egg + molasses + vanilla or bourbon + baking powder + flour
- For Garnish = A mix of Gingerbread Spices and sugar, sprinkled over the batter before baking
- These bars are quite plain in appearance but compensate in big flavors.
- Mixing the batter with an electric mixer is very straight-forward, no tricks or extra steps. A hand mixer works especially well since the batter volume is small.
- This is a time-friendly recipe, mix it in just 20 minutes, those bars'll be ready to eat in under an hour!
- This is pantry-friendly recipe for those who keep plenty of spices on hand.
- This is a budget-friendly recipe should you already have those spices on hand.
- This is a calorie-friendly recipe, especially if, like me, you cut small squares for snacking.
- I like to cut these bars into tiny one-bite squares that make so much sense during a season when so many sweets are often on offer.
- So good! I hope you love these!
- For another Christmas-y bar, check out my Fresh Cranberry Bars, more blondie than bar.
- Not quite what you're looking for? Check out my other recipes for bars & squares.
How to Make Gingerbread Snickerdoodle Bars
The detailed recipe is written in traditional recipe form below but here are the highlights in three easy steps. You can definitely do this!
- MIX THE SPICES After they're collected, set aside one teaspoon to mix with a tablespoon of sugar for sprinkling on top of the batter before baking.
- MIX THE BATTER Cream the butter and brown sugar; mix in the egg, molasses, fresh ginger and vanilla or bourbon; mix in the Spice Mix and baking powder; finally, mix in the flour. Transfer the batter to an 8x8 baking pan that's been sprayed and has a "sling" of parchment paper to lift out the bars after they've been baked and cooled. Sprinkle with the Spice Mix-Sugar mixture.
- BAKE until done, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before lifting the bars out of the pan to cut or further cool.
For Best Results
For my weekly column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I interviewed chefs and translated their restaurant recipes for home kitchens. The most illuminating question? "How can a home cook ensure the same results?" So now I ask that question of myself, too, for my own recipes. Have another question? Ask away, I'll do my best to answer!
Salted Butter American recipes often specify the use of unsalted butter in baking recipes, claiming that bakers can then add salt to their taste. The trouble is, those recipes also often call for a minuscule amount of salt and it's just not enough and it doesn't distribute well. Me, I follow the European practice that relies on salted butter for my baked goods and oh! it makes a difference. Better still, since we use salted butter for bread and toast, we need keep only one butter on hand instead of two. Win Win!
More Classics All Dressed Up for Christmas
~ Gingerbread Granola (PIN This) ~~ Christmas Cauliflower ~
~ Christmas Chicken Salad ~
~ Christmas Banana Bread (PIN This) ~
more
~ ~ Christmas recipes ~
You'll Love Gingerbread Snickerdoodle Bars ...
- Bars are just so easy! Mix. Bake. Slice. Eat. That's it!
- It's just too soon to really start Christmas baking. But a few bars? Done!
- Those spices really grab you. This is real gingerbread, just in tiny bites.
- Ready to get started? Here's your recipe!
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How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If my recipe inspires you, please do save and share! I'd be honored ...
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GINGERBREAD SNICKERDOODLE BARS
Time-to-table: 1 hour
Makes 1 8x8 pan, cut in 64 small squares or 16 large squares
Double the ingredients for a 9x13
-
GINGERBREAD SPICE MIX
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper, optional but striking
- Small pinch cloves
-
FOR SPICE TOPPING
- 1 teaspoon Gingerbread Spice Mix
- 1 tablespoon sugar
-
BATTER
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons, 112g and usually 1 stick) salted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon molasses (not blackstrap)
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon vanilla or bourbon
- Spice Mix
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, if using unsalted butter, assumes table salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1-1/2 cups flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring or 187g
PREP Heat oven to 350F/180C. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with baking spray or rub with DIY Substitute for Baker's Joy. If you like, place a piece of parchment across the pan, lining the bottom and two sides, creating a "sling" that will let you lift out the cake from the pan in one fell swoop after it's baked.
SPICE MIX In a small bowl, collect all the spices. For the Topping, mix 1 teaspoon of the Spice Mix with 1 tablespoon sugar and set aside.
BATTER In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to really mix the butter and brown sugar, if necessary, stop to work out all the small brown sugar lumps by pressing them against the side of the bowl with the back of a spoon. Add the egg, molasses, fresh ginger and vanilla, mix in well. Add the Spice Mix and baking powder, work in well. Sprinkle about half the flour over the top of the batter and mix in just a bit, then add the rest and mix in, just until the flour disappears, no more.
SPICE TOPPING Spread the thick batter evenly across the prepared pan including into the corners. Sprinkle the Spice Topping evenly across the top of the batter.
BAKE on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes until a cake tester (affiliate link) or a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes, then use the parchment sling to lift the entire baked piece out of the pan. When the bars are cool, slices into mini squares (8 x 8 cuts) or larger squares (4x4 cuts).
Store in an airtight container, the bars will stay fresh for several days.
FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more.
If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2023/12/gingerbread-snickerdoodle-bars.html .
Seasonal Baking: Up to Your Elbows in Sugar and Flour?
Frosty Christmas Trees Homemade Microwave Caramel Corn Gourmet Chocolate Mocha Cookies Gingerbread Muffins Graham Cracker Toffee Cranberry Macadamia-Butter Cookies Butter Tart Bars Perfect M&M Cookies Sesame Candy Fresh Cranberry Drop Cookies Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies Colored Roll-Out Sugar Cookies Holiday Baking Tips from a Certifiable Cookie-Baking Fiend No-Roll Christmas Sugar Cookies Bourbon Pralines Slice 'n' Bake Coffee Cookies with Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans Fresh Cranberry Cake Chocolate-Almond Shortbread Cookies Christmas Banana Bread Fresh Cranberry Bars Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies Family Shortbread Cranberry Walnut Bread Big Fat Chewy Molasses Cookies
- THE RECIPE Gingerbread Pudding Cake Layers of cake and pudding. It's magic!
- ANOTHER TAKE Lemon Pudding Cake with Raspberries Tart lemon + juicy berries.
- HOLIDAY READY Gingerbread Granola All dressed up for Christmas. (PIN This)
- ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots Just a little sweetness, just a little oil.
- THE RECIPE Frosty Christmas Trees Gingerbread spices with a touch of chocolate, easy to handle.
- ANOTHER TAKE No-Chill Cutout Sugar Cookies Just mix and roll, no need to wait. (PIN This)
Shop Your Pantry First
(helping home cooks save money on groceries)~ molasses recipes ~
~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~
Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences.
Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.
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2023
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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna