Gingerbread Blondies are the ultimate holiday dessert that combines warm gingerbread spices with rich, buttery blondie texture, studded with white chocolate chips and finished with elegant white chocolate drizzle for a scrumptious celebration treat. These festive gingerbread blondies deliver all the beloved flavors of classic gingerbread cookies—molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg—but in dense, fudgy bar form that’s significantly easier to make than rolling, cutting, and baking individual cookies. The white chocolate chips throughout add creamy sweetness that perfectly balances the spicy molasses depth, while the decorative drizzle creates bakery-quality presentation ideal for holiday cookie exchanges, gift-giving, or impressive dessert tables.
Whether you’re preparing treats for Christmas gatherings, filling holiday cookie tins, looking for alternatives to traditional gingerbread cookies, or simply wanting festive desserts that capture the season’s flavors, these blondies deliver crowd-pleasing results in just 45 minutes from start to finish. They yield 16 generous squares that stay wonderfully soft and chewy for days.
Why You’ll Love This Gingerbread Blondies Recipe
These gingerbread blondies prove that you can absolutely have gingerbread flavor without the work of traditional cookies. Instead of mixing dough, chilling it, rolling it out, cutting shapes, and baking multiple batches, you simply mix the batter, spread it in one pan, bake once, and cut into bars. This streamlined approach saves tremendous time while delivering the same warm spice flavors everyone craves during the holidays.
The texture is what truly sets blondies apart—dense, fudgy, and incredibly moist with chewy edges and soft centers. The brown sugar and molasses create rich depth and moisture that keeps these bars soft for days without drying out. Unlike cookies that can become hard or crumbly, blondies maintain perfect texture throughout their storage life.
The white chocolate addition is brilliant. The creamy, vanilla-forward sweetness of white chocolate complements gingerbread spices beautifully, creating balance between sweet and spicy. The chocolate chips melted throughout create pockets of creamy sweetness, while the drizzle on top adds visual appeal and extra chocolate flavor in every bite.
Ingredients for Gingerbread Blondies
Blondie Base
- 170g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature – Creates rich, buttery flavor
- 210g (1 cup packed) brown sugar – Provides sweetness and moisture
- 80g (¼ cup) unsulphured molasses – Delivers signature gingerbread flavor
- 1 egg, room temperature – Binds ingredients
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature – Adds extra richness and fudgy texture
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – Enhances overall flavor
- 270g (2¼ cups) plain flour – Creates structure
- ½ teaspoon baking soda – Provides slight lift
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon – Main warm spice
- 2 teaspoons ginger – Provides characteristic gingerbread spice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg – Adds aromatic depth
- ¼ teaspoon salt – Enhances flavors
Mix-ins and Topping
- 225g (1½ cups) white chocolate chips – Adds creamy sweetness throughout
- 85g (3 oz) white chocolate – For decorative drizzle
Ingredient Notes
Molasses Selection: Use unsulphured molasses (regular or mild), not blackstrap molasses which is too bitter and strong for baking. The molasses creates both the characteristic gingerbread flavor and the dark color.
Room Temperature Butter: Softened butter (room temperature for 30-60 minutes) creams properly with sugar. It should be soft enough to leave an indent when pressed but not melted or greasy.
Extra Egg Yolk: The additional egg yolk beyond the whole egg creates richer, fudgier texture characteristic of excellent blondies. If you don’t want to separate eggs, simply use 2 whole eggs instead.
Brown Sugar: Packed brown sugar creates moisture and rich molasses notes that complement the spices. Light or dark brown sugar both work—dark provides slightly more molasses flavor.
Spice Balance: The recipe uses generous amounts of cinnamon and ginger with smaller amounts of nutmeg. Adjust spices to your preference—increase ginger to 1 tablespoon for spicier blondies, or add ¼ teaspoon ground cloves for more complexity.
White Chocolate Quality: Good-quality white chocolate like Ghirardelli or Lindt creates superior flavor and melts more smoothly than generic brands. White chocolate complements gingerbread better than milk or dark chocolate, though you can substitute if preferred.
Pan Size: The 8-inch square pan creates thick, fudgy blondies. A 9×9-inch pan makes slightly thinner bars—reduce baking time by 3-5 minutes if using the larger pan.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 – Prepare Pan and Oven
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease an 8-inch square baking pan thoroughly with butter or cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides for easy removal. The greasing helps the parchment stick and ensures clean release.
Step 2 – Cream Butter and Sugar
In a large mixing bowl using a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the room temperature butter and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and noticeably paler in color. This incorporates air that creates tender texture.
Step 3 – Add Molasses
Add the molasses to the butter mixture and beat on medium speed until completely combined and smooth, about 1 minute. The mixture will darken considerably and may look slightly separated—this is normal.
Step 4 – Add Eggs and Vanilla
Beat in the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract on medium speed until the mixture is smooth, glossy, and completely combined, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
Step 5 – Incorporate Dry Ingredients
Add the plain flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt to the wet mixture. Switch from the electric mixer to a rubber spatula. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using gentle, broad strokes. Mix only until just combined and you no longer see dry flour streaks. Don’t overmix—stop the moment the batter looks uniform. Overmixing develops gluten and creates tough, cakey texture instead of fudgy blondies.
Step 6 – Fold in White Chocolate
Add the white chocolate chips to the batter and fold them in with the spatula until evenly distributed throughout. The batter will be thick—this is correct.
Step 7 – Spread and Bake
Transfer the blondie batter to your prepared pan. Use the spatula to spread it evenly into all corners and smooth the top surface. The batter will be thick and may resist spreading—be patient and work it into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, checking at 20 minutes. The blondies are done when the top looks set and feels firm when lightly touched, and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with perhaps a few moist crumbs. Don’t overbake—they should look slightly underdone. They’ll firm up as they cool.
Step 8 – Cool Completely
Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack. Let the blondies cool completely in the pan—this takes about 1-2 hours. Cooling completely is essential before cutting and drizzling, or they’ll fall apart and the chocolate will melt.
Step 9 – Remove from Pan
Once fully cooled, use the parchment paper overhang to carefully lift the entire blondie slab from the pan. Transfer it to a wire cooling rack or clean cutting board for easier drizzling and cutting.
Step 10 – Melt and Drizzle Chocolate
Place the white chocolate for drizzling in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring thoroughly between each burst, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate to a piping bag or ziplock bag with a small corner snipped off, or simply use a spoon. Drizzle the chocolate evenly over the top of the cooled blondies in any pattern you like—zigzags, parallel lines, or random drizzles all look beautiful.
Step 11 – Cut and Serve
Let the chocolate drizzle set for 10-15 minutes until firm. Use a sharp knife to cut the blondies into 16 squares (4 rows by 4 rows). Wipe the knife clean between cuts for the neatest edges.
Pro Tips for Success
Don’t Overmix: This is the most critical rule for fudgy blondies. Mix dry ingredients just until combined—stop the moment you don’t see flour streaks. Overmixing creates tough, cakey texture instead of dense, fudgy bars.
Don’t Overbake: Blondies should look slightly underdone when you remove them from the oven. They’ll seem soft but will firm up perfectly as they cool. Overbaking creates dry, crumbly bars instead of moist, chewy ones.
Line Your Pan: The parchment paper with overhang makes removing the blondies foolproof. Don’t skip this step or you’ll struggle to remove clean squares from the pan.
Room Temperature Ingredients: Butter, eggs, and egg yolk should all be at room temperature for proper mixing and texture. Cold ingredients don’t cream properly and create uneven batter.
Cool Completely Before Cutting: Warm blondies fall apart when cut. Patience here ensures clean, neat squares with perfect texture.
Sharp Knife for Clean Cuts: A sharp knife creates cleaner cuts than a dull one. Warming the knife under hot water and drying it between cuts creates professional-looking squares.
Flavor Variations
Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Blondies: Replace white chocolate chips with dark chocolate chips and drizzle with dark chocolate for intense chocolate-ginger combination.
Cranberry Gingerbread Blondies: Fold in ½ cup dried cranberries along with the white chocolate for tart, fruity contrast.
Pecan Gingerbread Blondies: Add 1 cup chopped toasted pecans for nutty crunch and extra richness.
Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies: Swirl 4 oz softened cream cheese beaten with 2 tablespoons sugar through the batter before baking for tangy contrast.
Caramel Gingerbread Blondies: Drizzle with caramel sauce along with or instead of white chocolate for salted caramel gingerbread combination.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Gingerbread Blondies cut into squares on festive holiday platters for Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, or dessert tables. Their warm spice flavor and elegant white chocolate drizzle make them perfect for holiday entertaining alongside our gingerbread cookie bars and soft Lofthouse cookies.
Package them in clear cellophane bags tied with red or green ribbons for homemade Christmas gifts, neighbor treats, or teacher appreciation presents. Stack them in decorative tins lined with parchment paper for impressive holiday gift boxes. They also make wonderful additions to holiday bake sales and fundraisers.
For special presentation, dust cooled blondies lightly with powdered sugar before drizzling chocolate, or add festive sprinkles to the wet chocolate drizzle for extra holiday flair.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Room Temperature: Store cut blondies in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 5 days. They stay wonderfully moist and soft thanks to the molasses and brown sugar.
Refrigerator: While not necessary, refrigeration extends shelf life to 7-10 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for best texture and flavor.
Freezing: Wrap individual blondies in plastic wrap, then place in freezer bags or airtight containers. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving. The texture remains perfect after freezing.
Make-Ahead Strategy: Bake blondies 2-3 days ahead and store at room temperature. Add the white chocolate drizzle the day before serving for freshest presentation.
Gift Storage: For gift-giving, wrap cut squares individually in plastic wrap before packaging in decorative boxes or tins. This keeps them fresh and makes portion control easy for recipients.
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 316 |
| Protein | 4g |
| Carbohydrates | 41g |
| Fat | 16g |
| Fiber | 1g |
| Sodium | 105mg |
Based on 16 servings (1 square each). Nutritional values are approximate.
FAQ About Gingerbread Blondies
Can I use blackstrap molasses instead of regular?
No, blackstrap molasses is too bitter and strong for baking desserts. Always use unsulphured molasses (regular or mild) which provides the right gingerbread flavor without overwhelming bitterness. Blackstrap is better suited for savory applications.
Why are my blondies cakey instead of fudgy?
Cakey texture usually results from overbaking or overmixing the batter. Remove blondies when they look slightly underdone—they firm up as they cool. Also ensure you’re folding (not beating) the dry ingredients and stopping the moment the batter is combined.
Can I make these in a 9×13 pan?
Yes, but they’ll be much thinner and will bake faster. Check them at 15 minutes and bake only until set. The texture will be more bar-like than blondie-like due to the thinner profile.
How do I get clean drizzle lines?
Make sure blondies are completely cool before drizzling. Use a piping bag or ziplock bag with a small corner cut for controlled drizzling. Move in smooth, steady motions rather than stopping and starting, which creates drips and blobs.
Gingerbread Blondies transform beloved holiday gingerbread flavors into convenient bar form that’s easier to make than traditional cookies while delivering the same warm spice satisfaction everyone craves during the festive season. The fudgy texture, white chocolate sweetness, and elegant presentation make these blondies impressive enough for holiday entertaining yet simple enough for everyday baking. Whether you’re filling cookie tins, preparing dessert table offerings, or creating homemade gifts, these festive bars prove that sometimes the best holiday treats are the ones that deliver maximum flavor with minimum fuss.
