These Gingerbread Brownies have soft and chewy gingerbread cookies layered into fudgy chocolate brownies! They're perfectly gooey and so flavorful! When I shared them with my friends, they described them as tasting "just like Christmas"! These are simple to make and a wonderful dessert to share. Check out how they're made in this video!
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This brownie recipe is great for holiday treats and cookie exchanges. It's a unique and delicious combination of ginger, molasses and chocolate flavors! If you're looking for gingerbread flavored treats without the chocolate, try my Ginger Molasses Cookies or Gingerbread Muffins!
These bars might also be considered brookies or blondies. For more sharable desserts, check out recipes for cookies or bars and bites!
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Ingredients
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground cloves
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Eggs
- Molasses
- Vegetable oil (or other neutral oil)
- Semi sweet chocolate chips
See recipe card below for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Drizzle melted chocolate or cream cheese icing over the top for an extra sweet variation!
- Add Holiday sprinkles on top of the batter before baking for a festive treat.
- If you want an even chocolatier dessert bar, mix mini chocolate chips or chocolate chunks into the batter.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you do replace any ingredients, please let us know how they turned out in the comments below!
Equipment
A hand mixer will make whipping up the cookie dough much easier since it uses softened butter. It can also be used for the brownie batter, but isn't necessary.
This recipe is made for an 8 inch square pan. Grease and line it with parchment paper to easily pull up and release the bars from the pan after they've cooled!
Step by Step Instructions
Step One (Picture 1 above) - Make the gingerbread cookie dough by creaming together the butter and brown sugar and then mixing in the molasses, egg yolk, flour, spices, baking soda and salt.
Step Two (Picture 2 above) - Whip up the brownie batter by mixing together the eggs, brown sugar, melted chocolate and butter, oil, flour, cocoa powder and salt.
Step Three (Picture 3 above) - Spread a thin layer of brownie batter in the bottom of your prepared pan and drop cookie dough balls on top, pressing down gently to flatten them. Repeat with the rest of the dough and batter.
Step Four (Picture 4 above) - Bake the gingerbread brownies at 350°F until the center is just slightly jiggly (about 25-35 minutes). The jigglier the center is, the gooier they'll be!
Tip: Don't overbake them! If you wait to take them out until they're completely firm, they may turn out hard and/or cakey!
Recipe FAQs
Once they've cooled completely, slice them into 9 or 16 equal squares with a warm chef's knife (rinse the knife with hot water and dry it off before each cut). Serve them as they are or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Oh yes, I love brownies! There are also recipes for Samoa Brownies, Andes Mint Brownies, Pecan Brownie Pie, Mini Brownie Bites, Edible Brownie Batter and a Fudgy Mug Brownie!
Storage
Store leftover gingerbread brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
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📖 Recipe
Gingerbread Brownies
Equipment
- 8x8 inch metal pan aluminized steel recommended (do not use glass)
- Parchment paper
- Hand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookie Dough
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅓ cup (66 g) light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup (84.25 g) molasses unsulphured
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature (save the whites for the brownie batter)
- 1⅓ cup (166.67 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Brownie Batter
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (128 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 large egg + 1 egg white room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or other neutral oil
- ⅓ cup (41.67 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (21.5 g) unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch processed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper so that it extends up the sides.
Gingerbread Cookie Dough
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes). Stir in the molasses followed by the egg yolk.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt. Gently mix them into the wet ingredients, just until the flour streaks disappear. Scrape the sides as necessary to incorporate all of the ingredients.
Brownie Batter
- In a medium bowl, microwave the butter and chocolate chips while stopping to stir every 20 seconds until smooth. Let it cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, egg white and brown sugar for about 1 minute. Carefully mix in the cooled melted chocolate mixture. Stir in the oil, flour, cocoa powder and salt until the flour streaks disappear.
Assemble the Brownies
- Spread a thin layer of brownie batter in the bottom of your prepared pan. Distribute drops of cookie dough on top of the brownie batter and gently press down to flatten them. Repeat with the remaining batter and dough.
- Bake until the center is very slightly jiggly and a toothpick comes out with a little bit of gooey batter on it (about 25-35 minutes).
- Let the brownies cool in the pan until they're firm enough to be lifted out of it with the parchment paper. Transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Cut into 9 or 16 equal squares with a warm knife.
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Sue says
This recipe looks amazing! Do you think it would work with dairy-free butter and AP gluten free flour?
Kayla Burton says
Hi Sue! Hmm, I haven't tested with either so I'm not sure...I'm guessing the texture would be a bit different. Please let me know if you try it!
Katie says
Will you add to the recipe tips/notes to be sure not to use cold ginger-bread dough for us newbies? I made the ginger-bread dough ahead and layered it in with fresh mixed brownie mix. At almost the end of the baking process, the glass pan exploded/shattered in my oven. I guess when the cold dough hit the glass. I was really looking forward to trying this recipe but now I'm traumatized so I won't be re-trying. LOL
Kayla Burton says
Hi Katie! I'm sorry to hear about this. The cold dough would be fine in a metal baking pan so I'll add a note to avoid using a glass pan - thanks for your feedback & happy holidays!
Tess Stecklein says
These brownies are an amazing texture and the gingerbread adds the perfect flare! These are so perfect for the holiday season and can’t wait to have them again!
Kayla says
Thank you, Tess! I'm happy you liked them so much 😀
Krystian says
I can't wait to have these again during the holidays! The cinnamon, cloves, and ginger all come together to make these brownies the perfect winter treat. Adding the gingerbread cookie dough balls on top is a game changer!
Kayla says
The spices are my favorite part in these! They're perfect for the holidays 🙂