Gingerbread Brookies are a delicious combo of chewy gingerbread cookie bars and fudgy chocolate brownies! It’s the ultimate holiday treat!
Gingerbread Cookies and Chocolate Brownies come together for the holiday Dessert Recipe you never knew you needed. The warm spices of the gingerbread go perfectly with the sweetness of the fudgy chocolate bar. Be sure to add these delicious new holiday treats to your dessert table this year!
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Gingerbread Brookies Recipe
Brookies are a tasty, chewy cross between brownies and cookies. Usually, they’re inspired by Chocolate Chip Cookies, just like in our classic Brookie Recipe. However, this recipe puts a holiday spin on things and is a mix between gingerbread and brownies. The unexpected duo is absolutely irresistible in this fudgy brownie and chewy cookie bar combo.
Chocolate and gingerbread are two staples of the holiday season, so it only made sense to combine them. The delicious mix of two favorite desserts is made by pouring your brownie batter into a baking pan and then spreading the cookie dough over that. The gooey gingerbread and brownie batter bake together for perfectly holiday-flavored brookie bars.
Ingredients
- Gingerbread Batter: The gingerbread layer is like a cross between a blond brownie and cookie dough. It starts with creaming ⅓ cup of butter with 1 cup of brown sugar before adding 1 egg, 2 tablespoons molasses, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. It gets ½ cup each of flour and wheat flour, 2 teaspoons of ginger, plus ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Gingerbread Flavor: The combination of molasses, ginger, and wheat flour are what give the blondie layer a delicious gingerbread flavor.
- Chocolate Brownies: Our classic chocolate brownie batter is made with ½ cup of melted butter, 1 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, ⅓ cup of unsweetened cocoa, ½ cup of flour, ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon baking powder. The melted butter and cocoa combo is the secret to rich, fudgy goodness.
- Sanding Sugar: The sprinkle of sanding sugar adds a little extra sweetness to the gingerbread layer and gives your brookie bars a pretty finishing touch.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Baking Pan: To make these Gingerbread Brookies, you’ll need a 9×13 inch baking dish. This keeps the bars from being too thick and you get the perfect ratio of gingerbread to chocolate brownie.
- Baking Spray: Baking spray is a special cooking spray that has flour added for a better coating for your baking pans. If you don’t have baking spray, you can use regular spray and dust your pan with flour.
How to Make
Time needed: 45 minutes.
- Prep for Baking
Use a baking spray to make sure the Brookies don’t stick to the pan. If you don’t have baking spray you can line the dish with foil or parchment paper then grease it well and dust it lightly with flour.
- Brownies Layer
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder into the bowl. Whisk everything together until just combined. Spread the batter into the bottom of your prepared baking pan.
- Gingerbread Layer
Cream the butter and brown sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Mix in the molasses, eggs, and vanilla. In a mixing bowl, sift the flours, ginger, baking soda and powder, and salt together. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the flour mix just until there are no more dry streaks. Spoon the gingerbread mixture over the brownie batter and gently spread it to an even layer.
- Bake the Brookies
Bake the brookies for 30-35 minutes. Test them with a toothpick after 30 minutes, and bake longer if it comes out with batter on it. If it’s clean with some moist crumbs, they are ready. Remove from the oven and wait for them to cool before slicing and serving.
Can this be made ahead of time?
You can definitely make the brownie and gingerbread batters ahead of time. Simply prepare them as usual and either layer in the pan or store separately in airtight containers. You can prep the batters up to 2 days ahead of time and bake as usual.
Nutritional Facts
Gingerbread Brookies Tips & Tricks
- Don’t Overmix your Batter
When you add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients be careful not to overmix. If you overmix the batter, the brownies could become tough instead of chewy. This is especially important to keep in mind if you’re using an electric mixer since they make it easier to mix too much.
- Cut Perfect Brownies & Bars
If you are making these Gingerbread Brookies for a holiday party or event, you probably want to cut them perfectly with nice sharp, clean lines! To make it easier, line your pan with foil, letting about an inch of foil pop up over the edges. Spray with the baking spray or grease and dust with flour so they don’t stick to the foil. Once they are baked and cooled down, lift the foil straight out of the pan with the whole sheet of Brookies. This will let you cut clean straight lines, or even use cookie cutters to make shapes.
How to Store
Store: You can keep Gingerbread Brookies at room temperature for up to 4 days. Once they’ve cooled, cover them tightly and store them in a cool and dry place. You can layer the brookies in an airtight container to keep in the fridge for 1 week. Separate the layers with parchment paper so they don’t stick together.
Freeze: Properly sealed frozen Gingerbread Brookies are good for 3-4 months. Let them cool completely before wrapping individual bars in plastic wrap then storing in a freezer bag. Thaw them in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.
Gingerbread Man Brookies
Serve this holiday treat at a festive potluck, on Christmas eve, or as a dessert after your holiday dinner. If you’re serving them to guests and want to make the gingerbread bars look more festive, try making them into little gingerbread man shapes.
- To make the gingerbread man brookies, first wait for them to cool entirely.
- Use a butter knife to carefully loosen the brownies from the pan.
- Once you’ve cut along the edge invert the pan over a flat working surface.
- Be very gentle so you don’t break the brookies as they come out.
- Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut the brookies into adorable shapes.
- You can decorate them with icing, then place them carefully on a serving tray.
Alternative Baking Techniques
Gooey Gingerbread Cupcakes
To make gooey gingerbread cupcakes bake this same recipe in muffin tins. Line the muffin tins with paper liners before adding in the dough. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Once they have baked and cooled, you can spread Buttercream Frosting over gingerbread brownie cupcakes.
Frequent Questions
These Gingerbread Brookie Bars freeze really well and will last for about 3-4 months in the freezer. You can let them thaw before warming them up or enjoy them as a chewy, cold treat.
A brookie is a dessert that combines cookies and brownies into one delicious dessert bar. They are made by baking cookie dough on top of brownie batter, either in an even layer or just dolloped over top, and then baked before being sliced and served up up like brownies.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Gingerbread Brownie layer
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 cups brown sugar , packed
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons coarse sanding sugar
Chocolate Brownies:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
To Prepare:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with baking spray.
Brownie Layer:
- Whisk together melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Spread batter evenly into greased baking pan.
Gingerbread Layer:
- To your stand mixer, add the butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 1 minute until creamed together.
- Add in the molasses, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.
- Sift together the flour, whole wheat flour, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Lower the speed on the stand mixer to the lowest setting and add in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Spread batter very gently over the brownie layer into your baking pan evenly and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
To Finish:
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool before slicing.
Nutrition
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Gingerbread Brookies Variations
Add-ins: For some add-ins to the delicious mix try traditional spices in the gingerbread dough. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves would make wonderful festive additions. You could also mix some chocolate chips into the brownie batter. Semi-sweet, white chocolate or dark chocolate would all taste great.
Buttercream Icing: For an extra sweet recipe, try topping the Gingerbread Bars off with Buttercream Icing. It only takes powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and heavy cream to make it, and it doesn’t take long. You can spread icing over Gingerbread Brookies to cover them, or just pipe icing in swirling designs along the top.
More Toppings: For more toppings try sprinkling some large sanding sugar or powdered sugar over the top. You could also add some festive sprinkles or candy pieces.
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What a great recipe! The gingerbread flavor combined with the chocolate are delicious! Perfect cookie to add to my holiday cookie tray!
Thank you Adrienne and thanks for the 5 star rating. I hope you’ll type in “Christmas” in our Recipe Index browser. There are a ton of holiday cookies for your tray 🙂