Gingerbread Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Yum, gingerbread is one of my favorites!  
These are moist and so tasty, it will make regular gingerbread pale in comparison.  I may need to make another batch before Christmas. 
  

I found this recipe on this site, and my only suggested change is to cut the icing recipe in half.  It's delicious, but it made too much. These bars are good enough that they don't have to have the icing at all, powdered sugar would be enough. 
Leftover icing... you can use it on another batch of cookies, or spread it on gingersnaps or graham crackers.

Serves: 24 bars

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg, well beaten 
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger 
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Cream Cheese Frosting: (or just dust with powdered sugar)
½ cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 lb (3¾ cups) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and molasses on medium speed until creamy.

Add the egg and stir until completely incorporated. Add flour, spices, and salt and mix until well combined.  It's a somewhat thick dough, but easy enough to pat down in the pan with a spatula or your fingers.

Spread dough into prepared pan, using clean hands or a rubber spatula to press the dough to the edges of the pan. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes; do not overbake! If the edges puff up, push down with your fingers while it is cooling, that will make a nice evenly flat bunch of gingerbread bars.

Cool in a pan with a wire rack.

When bars have cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting or dust lightly with powdered sugar. They are delicious with nothing on them! Cut into squares and serve.

For the frosting: Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Slowly mix on low and then beat it on high until fluffy.

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