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And without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to "one of the very best" recipes that has ever rolled out of this little Café kitchen.
Well, at least that's what one of my most discerning (also charming, funny, fun, handsome, as well as most honest) recipe critic says...
So I thought I'd let him share the scoop about these Gingerbread Blondies. Meet our son, Nick!
"Just walk away Nick". This is what I have to tell myself every time I finish eating one of these blondies. It's all I can do to not wolf down half the pan in a crazed sweet tooth-induced frenzy. They are really that good. My wife, Lindsay and I have the luxury of being taste testers for many of the amazing things that are produced for this blog, but this recipe is one of the very best.Â
The spice of the gingerbread, the crispness of the blondie, coupled with the creamy frosting make these the ultimate holiday desert! Make them today!
Nick
So there you have it. The only thing Nick didn't tell you was how easy these Gingerbread Blondies are to put together.
You probably have all the ingredients right in your pantry and fridge. One pot and about 10 minutes later, you'll be all set to pop this wonderful sweet treat into the oven.
20 minutes after that, your kitchen will be filled with the most amazing aroma as you pull out these golden beauties.
Serve them unadorned or with the decadent buttercream icing, either way, they'll be a huge hit.
And if you have a crumb or two leftover, I know Nick would be quite thrilled if you sent them his way!
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Gingerbread Blondies
Ingredients
- For the blondies:
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ÂĽ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the icing:
- 4 ounces butter
- 1 ounce cream cheese
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons half & half
- nutmeg for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 8-inch cake pan (or quarter sheet pan) with baking spray. Cut a length of parchment paper long enough to line the bottom of the pan with extra hanging over two of the sides. Press a crease in the parchment at the edges, so it fits snugly into the bottom. Set pan aside.
- Melt the butter in a medium size pot over medium heat. Continue cooking for about 4-6 minutes till butter is foaming and turns a medium golden brown. Swirl the pan frequently and watch carefully as butter can quickly go from golden to burned. Don't let it go past medium brown as it will continue to darken a bit more when you take it off of the burner.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then add brown sugar and stir well. Add eggs, one at a time and stir till each is incorporated. Add vanilla and stir well.
- Add flour, baking powder and spices and salt. Stir until all flour has disappeared. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly .
- Bake 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely before icing.
- For the icing, whip the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer until soft and fluffy, about 1 minute. I like to use the whisk attachment for my mixer.
- Reduce speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Once the powdered sugar is incorporated, add vanilla and 2 tablespoons half and half. Beat for 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. You may need to add more half and half if icing is too thick. Add a teaspoonful at a time until desired consistency is reach. You want a creamy and spreadable consistency.
- Spread icing over cooled blondies. Sprinkle with nutmeg for garnish, if desired. Allow icing to set for at least one hour. I like to place the whole pan in the refrigerator for about an hour before cutting.
- Cut blondies into 2-inch squares. Yields 16 bars if made in an 8x8-inch pan.
Notes
1) Even if you will serve the bars at room temperature, refrigerate them before cutting. The cuts will be much cleaner and easier, especially if there's icing involved. Then just let the bars return to room temperature before serving.
2) Use your longest, sharpest knife to make the cuts.
3) Use hot tap water to clean your knife in between cuts. Just run it under the tap water and then dry it each time with a paper towel.
4) I use a metal ruler to make even size bars. If you have a good eye, you won't need this but I always use one. I decide how big I want the bars and make tiny little cuts along each side at the appropriate place, then just connect the cuts to slice into bars. I keep the metal ruler in a handy place in my kitchen.
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I made these as one of my three desserts for our Christmas dinner. They were a big hit and were a favorite. The buttercream frosting was a wonderful addition. Love your recipes and your site is always my first go to when I’m looking for something good and different to make. Quite a few of your recipes have become standards in our household. Thanks for sharing such wonderful ideas.
Wonderful! Thanks for the review, Kathi!
Chris, thanks for your feedback. I will take your suggestion and add a couple of additional tablespoons of flour next time (I use Pillsbury unbleached flour for most of my recipes). The blondies around the center were so delicious that I am not giving up! 🙂
I made these blondies last year and could not get the center of the pan to bake properly. It remained gooey even after baking for 40 minutes. My oven is perfectly calibrated, and I have not one, but two oven thermometers to monitor the temperature. Since the outer edges baked to perfection and were so delicious, I decided to try again this year. This time I baked the blondies for 45 minutes and covered them at the end as they were getting dark enough. I got the same results. The center was still gooey while the rest baked up as it should. I am an experienced baker of over 60 years, and I even have my own recipe blog with over 500 recipes (www.fransfavs.com). I am at a loss as to why this recipe doesn't work for me. When you take your blondies out of the oven is the center at all still gooey, and does it firm up as it sits and cools? I'd appreciate any insight you may have.
Hi Fran, I'm so sorry this recipe presented a problem for you. I would have to go back to the drawing board to troubleshoot why your blondies were gooey in the center. Did they firm up after they cooled? As I'm sure you know, blondies are much moister and denser than other baked goods. When I made these the centers were moist yet firm and easy to cut into squares.
Flour and butter can vary in moisture content so perhaps that could also play into the issue you've had. I would suggest adding a few extra tablespoons of flour and see if that makes a difference. Again, sorry this recipe has been a problem.
Chris, thanks for your feedback. I will take your suggestion and add a couple of additional tablespoons of flour next time (I use Pillsbury unbleached flour for most of my recipes). The blondies around the center were so delicious that I am not giving up! 🙂
Thank you, Chris. I will definitely try making these blondies again. They were delicious and everyone loved them even though they weren't as pretty as yours.
Thanks for your review, Tonya!
Mine won't bake. I've had them in 40 minutes and they're still gooey. I reviewed the directions and ingredients and added everything correctly. What could have gone wrong?
Honestly, Tonya, it's impossible to say why without having been right there in the kitchen with you. It may be your oven, not sure but I would just leave them in until the internal temperature is 200ËšF with an instant thermometer.
These things are amazing. I just had a dusting of powdered sugar and that’s more than enough. These are my new holiday fav.
Thanks, Dan!
These were delicious! Moist and chewy and tasted like the holidays! I did use a different cream cheese frosting recipe that called for 8 oz of cream cheese.
Thanks for letting us know, Casey!
Hello Chris, I'm wondering if I should double or 1 1/2 time the recipe to make in a 9x13 pan? Or, what would you suggest? Thank you!
Hi Cheryl, I would suggest making this in two 8-inch pans if you could. Since I haven't tested the recipe, using a 9x13-inch pan I'd be afraid that the center might not be done but the edges would get overbaked.
We are huge fans of all things ginger so I can't wait to try these. I would like to gift some at Christmas, but make them now and freeze. Have you tried freezing them and could I freeze with the icing do you think?
thanks for sharing this.
Janet
Hi Janet, yes, you could definitely freeze these now with the icing.
Is it really 1 ounce of cream cheese? Should that be 8 ounces?
Yes, 1 ounce of cream cheese, Laura.
Chris, thank you for the wonderful recipes. I'm guessing the recipe calls for salted butter (and not unsalted)? Just confirming before I give these a try.
Hi June, yes, I use salted butter.
These are amazing. I made some for our church small group last night and everyone raved. Such a unique flavor and the icing is spectacular. The prep time listed on the recipe is incorrect though....doesn't take 9 hours, LOL. These are easy to put together! This goes in my keeper recipe file!
Thanks, Catherine and you're right about the time! A while back I added a new recipe plugin and it messed up all of my times. I am working my way back but with over 1100 recipes, it's taking a while!
Hi - do you mean 4 tablespoons of butter? Otherwise 4oz of butter is a lot!
Just a note. I am making these now and the 8" baking pan (square) is far too small. I've had them in the oven for over 40 minutes and the inside is still totally raw. I should have use a 9x13 pan.
Hi Laura,
Hmmm... not sure what could have gone wrong. I've made these many times as they are my family's favorite dessert. This is another variation which is basically the same recipe with a different topping. They always come out perfect in an 8x8-inch pan.
The directions say a quarter sheet pan (which is the equivalent of a 9x13 pan) OR an 8x8 pan. Which one is the correct size? Thanks! Looking forward to trying this once the correct pan size is determined 🙂
Hi Rose, you can actually use either one. In the 8x8, the blondies will be much thicker but I've used both size pans.
Hi Sarah, 4 oz of butter is correct. It's a thick icing as you can see in the pics. You could halve the icing recipe for a thinner icing with less butter.
These would be great to munch on any time of the year and I could dive right into that frosting. I hope the holidays brought lots of smiles to your family.
Since you posted these on my birthday I will assume you made them just for me! Sorry Nick! You do though have very good taste and a gorgeous daughter!
I'm not the best cutter either but who cares cause it doesn't last on the plate very long. Delicious xoxo
I loved the commentary from your son, Nick! What a Saint, Nick - LOL. These do sound so deliciously addictive but I'd take a chance 🙂 Merry Christmas to you, Scott and your wonderful family, Chris!
As ginger cookies are a MUST for my holiday baking, I have a feeling these blondies would be a huge hit as well. And I think my Nick would give them rave reviews as well. Merry Christmas, Chris (and Scott)!!!
Well after reading that, I'd have to be an idiot not to bake up a tray of these this week! They look perfectly perfect 🙂
I love that sparkle in Nick and Emmy's eyes! Perhaps its due to these blondies. They would certainly put a sparkle in my eyes. What a wonderful combination of gingerbread flavor and blondie chewiness! I am a big believer in baking reviews by sons, so I know these have to be great! Happiest of holidays, Chris!
The blondies look so deliciously sticky, I love that!
Melt-in-your-mouth holiday flavor Adina!
I love these sheet pans deserts!
And they are so easy to put together!
Any tips on cutting them so nice and even?
Scott always laughs at me Cheryl, but I use a metal 12" ruler and a sharp knife, especially when we're cutting them for publication.
Yummicious....... I wish i could get one bite directly from this photo
Ha Ha! Maybe some day we'll have 3D computers with "smellavision" Priya!
wow those blondies look absolutely stunning, esp. with that cream cheese icing!
Happy Holidays, Chris, Nick and your family!
Angie
Thanks Angie! Have a blessed Christmas - to you and yours!
golly, do i love blondies...and with cream cheese how could it possibly be any better? thank you!
You're very welcome Cate! Enjoy!
great photo of Nick and his adorable daughter.....
I love gingerbread, it's by far one of my favorite types of sweets, that icing made me go weak in the knees.
I see a "Just walk away Sally" in my future
You won't regret it Sally... well maybe,,, lol!
You tell Nick to bring you and the rest of the family to Australia and I'll make some of these for him. Deal??
I agree with Laura, never skip the buttercream - it's Christmas!
Merry Christmas to my favorite couple. xxoo
Deal! Maureen, we'd love to come to your side of the planet! Have a joy filled Christmas down under!
Hi Chris..I assumed that it's just you and your husband and I often wondered what you do with all the food that you cook for this blog. Now I know. These blondies look delicious. I will definately try them.
Scott often says we feed half of our city with the food that comes out of my kitchen!
What fabulous blondies, and I'd never skip the buttercream!
Me neither Laura, me neither!
I'm with your son all the way --- I would have to walk away from these for my own good. Love that thick layer of frosting, and nutmeg <3
Sue, these are sooo good and sooo dangerous! In a delicious way!
I have never heard of ginger bread blondies but they sure look wonderful. Taste testers should know too. HA!!
That's because this crazy brain just invented them! i couldn't find anyone else who was doing them on the Internet, so I had some holiday fun in the kitchen!
Poor Nick - I understand his plight! These look amazing Chris - I just love all these gingerbread recipes. Hope you and your beautiful family have a wonderful blessed Christmas!
Thanks Tricia! You too, have a wonderful time!