Description
Sally takes these a notch up with some Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting, but after having made several pans already, everyone loves these as is. No mixer is required, these are easy and mixed by hand! I’ve also made a couple of batches covered with mini M & M’s which is another unfrosted version to try that also won’t last long – enjoy!
Ingredients
2 1/4 c. (281 g) flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
2 t. ground ginger AND 1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. EACH ground allspice, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, black pepper AND salt
3/4 c. (170 g) butter, melted, but just warm.
1/2 c. (100 g) EACH sugar AND (100 g) dark brown sugar
1/3 c. (113 g) molasses
1 egg, room temperature AND 1 t. vanilla
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350, lightly spray and line a metal baking pan with parchment so that there are overhanging ‘handles’ – there’s no need to grease the parchment. In a large bowl, whisk together the 9 dry ingredients and set aside. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, both sugars, and molasses until no lumps remain, then whisk in the egg and vanilla. The dough will be very thick and shiny.
Scrape and press the dough evenly into your prepared pan, this will be a very thin layer. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until an instant thermometer reaches 200 degrees in the center. Do not over bake! They will appear very moist but they will settle perfectly once they’ve had a chance to cool. Leave the bars alone to rest and cool for at least an hour before frosting or lifting out onto a cutting board to slice. Serve straight away or freeze for a treat at a later date.