GINGERBREAD SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Theses soft and chewy spiced cookie bars topped with smooth cream cheese frosting is divine!

PREP TIME 15 MINUTES | COOK TIME 17 MINUTES | SERVES 16

Ingredients  

For the dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup butter melted cooled
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses unsulphered
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Purple or navy food coloring
• Sprinkles

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Instructions 

For the dough:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13 inch baking pan (I used a metal pawith cooking spray.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk all dry dough ingredients together. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix melted butter, sugars, and molasses together until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla until smooth.
• Add in the dry ingredients a little at a time and mix until combined. Spread the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan and bake for 15-17 minutes. Set pan on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting:

• Beat butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until there are no lumps. Sift in the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Mix in the vanilla and then a tiny bit of purple or navy food coloring to make it more white. Get the air bubbles out by setting the mixer to stir and allow to mix for 1-2 minutes.
• Spread the frosting over the cooled bars and add the sprinkles. Store covered in the fridge.