Inspired by Candy Lasses, these Gingerbread Bars with Peppermint Frosting are full of peppermint flavor and frosted with vanilla buttercream. Gingerbread and candy cane. It’s a thing. An amazing thing. Don’t knock it till you try it. Originally published December 1, 2014.
Table of Contents
The other night we watched our friend’s kids while they went on a date, and ALL 3 of them had been injured within the first 20 minutes of being in our house. THIS is the way to make friends, in case you are having trouble.
In my defense, their 4-year-old is in the baby-obsessed stage, and cannot leave her 6-month-old brother alone. Cooing, waving toys, rolling him over and over and over across the floor–wait, STOP! No, put him down! GET BACK HERE–! Head smash. Cerebellum’d. Poor baby. It wasn’t me, okay?
Sibling relationships are complex sometimes, I get it. My sister was working in her garden one day, with her new baby asleep in a car seat, which was in the shade by the house. She looked back to find her 2-year-old standing over the baby, both hands raised high above her head, clutching a jagged rock. Like a sacrificial knife.
Well. That’s one way to make sure you stay the baby of the family. Get all crazy eyes.
You’ll love these gingerbread cookie bars
Speaking of crazy eyes, who’s ready for holiday baking?? Guys. These Frosted Peppermint Gingerbread Bars are legit. They might just be my new favorite Christmas treat, ever. They beat Buried Cherry Cookies (barely). They are on par, if not surpassing, the Butterscotch Pumpkin Cake. I made 3 batches in one week.
Don’t be a ginger + peppermint hater. I was dubious too, back when my best friend made these Candy Lasses for me the first time in college. A molasses-y gingery cookie…with candy canes? Uhhh… But I was immediately converted. This year I wanted to try a bar version, because the only thing better than a cookie is a bar.
Featured Comment
“Made these in 2017 for a Christmas dessert – the outcome? Addiction galore! For bars, I would say this is one of the BEST recipes I have tried, hands down, no joke. Pure deliciousness!” – Tamara
Key ingredients
- Lightly dried ginger or powdered ginger. I tested the recipe both ways, and both will work, so use whatever you have on hand.
- Instead of peppermint extract, I used crushed candy canes. The flavor is softer, sweeter, and way more festive (plus they add the cutest little crunch).
How to make gingerbread bars
Start by creaming the butter until it’s nice and light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar and beat it again, then mix in the molasses, eggs, and vanilla. Keep mixing until everything is smooth and well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Now for the fun part: crush 8 candy canes in a food processor. I like to throw the lightly dried ginger in there too, just to chop it up a bit, but that’s totally optional.
No food processor? No big deal! Just seal the candy canes in a zip-top bag and give them a good whack with a rolling pin. (Very satisfying.) Stir the crushed candy canes and ginger into the flour mixture, and you’re ready for the next step.
I like the peppermint that goes in the bars to be pretty finely crushed. I crush the sprinkle-on-top candy canes with a rolling pin so they are more even and coarse.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined, but don’t overdo it.
Bake these until a toothpick comes out clean. Just like brownies, these are best when they’re slightly underbaked rather than overbaked.
I highly recommend baking these in a glass pan, which keeps the edges nice and soft. If you’re using a metal pan, expect the bars to bake a few minutes faster, so keep an eye on them.
While the bars are cooling, go ahead and make the frosting. Beat the butter until it’s smooth and creamy, then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and salt. Beat it all together until the frosting is light and fluffy.
If it looks a little too thick, add another splash of milk. Too thin? Just add a little more powdered sugar. Just eyeball it.
Spread the frosting over the cooled bars and immediately sprinkle the top with crushed candy canes so they stick. (You can also stir the candy canes directly into the frosting if you prefer.) Slice into squares and try not to eat half the pan before anyone else gets one.
How to store leftover bars
These gingerbread bars stay wonderfully soft for several days, making them a great dessert to bake ahead during the busy holiday season. Store leftover frosted bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If your kitchen is especially warm, or if you want them to last a little longer, refrigerate them for up to 1 week. Just let them sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving so the frosting softens up again.
Can I freeze these?
These bars freeze beautifully! You can freeze them either frosted or unfrosted. Arrange the bars in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag with parchment paper between the layers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for a couple of hours on the counter before serving.
Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
Peppermint Frosted Gingerbread Bars
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup butter, 1 stick plus 2 and 2/3 tablespoons
- 1 & 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 teaspoons Lightly Dried Ginger, or powdered ginger–see note
- 2/3 cup crushed candy canes, about 8
Frosting:
- 3/4 cup butter
- 2 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3-4 crushed candy canes, to stir into frosting or sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 inch glass pan with parchment paper or foil. Spray with nonstick spray if you use foil.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat butter for 1-3 minutes, scraping sides, until light and fluffy.
- Add the brown sugar and beat again.
- Add molasses, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well, scraping sides.
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Crush 8 candy canes in a food processor. (I like to add the Lightly Dried Ginger to let it get a little more chopped up, but you don’t have to.) If you don’t have a food processor put them in a ziplock and use a rolling pin. Add the candy cane and the Lightly Dried Ginger to the flour mixture and whisk in.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 27-28 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Err on the side of under baking, just as you would with brownies.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely. When cool, lift the bars from the pan.
- Meanwhile make the frosting. Beat 3/4 cup butter until smooth, 1-3 minutes (depending on how cold your butter is).
- Add 1 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat well. Add more milk or powdered sugar to reach desired consistency. Beat well, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Spread the frosting over the bars. Sprinkle with 3-4 crushed candy canes right away. You could also stir them straight into the frosting. Then stuff your face.
I guess I need to get on the gingerbread peppermint train – it sure looks good
wow, I love gingerbread! i never would have thought to put it together with peppermint, but I bet these were amazing! I love this combo!
Bahahaha – sibling relationships ARE complex! I punched my brother giving him a black eye when I was 9 months old. He was 4. That defines our relationship.
I’m all aboard the peppermint + gingerbread train!
Karen, this was an awesome post. Love the little brother having crazy eyes. Totally made me giggle. And what a nice friend you are to watch all of their kids. That is craziness and you are sweet to do it. I would totally be pulling my hair out. These bars look amazing. I am finding out that I am becoming obsessed with gingerbread, ginger anything really. It just tastes so darn good. Totally making these for my hubby work!! Ps good luck next time!! :)
It’s a thing I never knew I needed. The gingerbread looks absolutely fudgy, if that’s even possible, and that shot of the candy canes in the food processor. LOVE. Dying for these. Also? That’s why I don’t babysit. Ever. :)
Peppermint and gingerbread is a combination I never would have imagined, but I’m all for it! I’m a little nervous to find out how my 2.5 year old will react to the new baby…. but as long as there are no daggers or jagged rocks around he/she should be safe!
I am definitely ready for holiday baking! I’m loving this combo … even though I can’t say I’ve ever tried gingerbread with peppermint before. But I think it sounds awesome!
this looks so festive! and delicious!
Oooh, Karen, these look a bit like your Butterscotch Pumpkin Cake (which was, by the way, INSANE in the good way). I’m just going to hang out here on your blog for the rest of the month, okay?
OOh, I love gingerbread flavors and these look amazing too! Thanks for the link =)
When I was in elementary school, I had my friend over for a play date to play on my brand new swing my dad built. Ummm…she fell off and BROKE her ARM! Like, we had to call her mom to take her to the hospital. Whoops! I guess playing when you are a kid is quite dangerous. These bars sound delicious!
Oh my goodness but those look good – I am so ready for peppermint season!!
These look FAB! I’m totally down for the peppermint and gingerbread combo. Yeah for cookie platters!
Hooray for holiday baking!! I totally got my holiday bake on last week .. and it will continue for another 31 days. . These Frosted Peppermint Gingerbread Bars LOOK legit. Love these, yo. and props to you for babysitting 3 of your friend’s kids. When we lived in Seattle, we had one family that we would do this with so we would take turns going on date nights. . saved on babysitter $$ and worked for everyone. . was a win-win. . and glad to hear no one was seriously injured! :)
No ginger/peppermint hating happening here. These look amazing. I totally get the sibling thing. I was the bad sibling that was always trying to kill her other siblings.