Gingerbread Blondies

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Updated Jul 11, 2025

These Gingerbread Blondies with tangy cream cheese icing are so tasty and easy. A perfect treat for the holidays!

These Gingerbread Blondies are chewy and deliciously spiced with ginger and cinnamon. They’re iced with an easy vanilla frosting with just a touch of cream cheese – almost undetectable, but with just enough tang to cut through the sweetness and add depth.

(You could alternatively use a 1/2 batch of my easy cream cheese icing recipe!)

I initially put the pomegranate seeds on top just for decoration, but they actually add a really nice tangy pop and texture contrast.

Gingerbread Blondies make a lovely grown-up alternative to my chewy gingerbread men, and a festive swap for classic chewy brownies.

Here’s What You Need for this Chewy Gingerbread Blondies Recipe

Everything comes together quickly with pantry staples and a few tools.

Chewy Gingerbread Blondies Ingredients

Unsalted butter
Granulated sugar
Fancy molasses (not blackstrap)
Egg
All-purpose flour
Spices (ground ginger, ground cinnamon) – similar to the ones in my grandma’s spiced Hermit Cookies.
Kosher salt
Pomegranate seeds

Icing Ingredients

Unsalted butter
Full-fat cream cheese
Whipping cream (or milk)
Confectioners’ sugar
Pure vanilla extract

Variations and Substitutions

Skip the icing if you want something less sweet—these are still great plain.
Swap pomegranate seeds with dried cranberries or candied ginger for a different topping.
Add chopped white chocolate to the batter for a sweeter twist.
Use lemon zest in the icing for a citrusy spin.

Grab These Tools

8×8-inch baking pan for even baking
Parchment paper to lift the bars out easily
Stand mixer or hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar
Mixing bowls for wet and dry ingredients
Rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl
Wire rack for cooling the blondies evenly

5 Common Mistakes When Making Chewy Gingerbread Blondies

Here are the most frequent mix-ups to avoid when making chewy gingerbread blondies:

Using blackstrap molasses makes the bars bitter and overpowering. Stick with “fancy” grade molasses for the best flavor. (And use the leftovers to make my Molasses Cookies with Icing)
Overbaking dries them out. Pull them from the oven when the top just loses its shine and the edges pull away.
Skipping the parchment paper makes it hard to remove the bars cleanly. It’s worth lining the pan.
Spreading icing on warm bars causes it to melt and slide. Make sure they’re fully cooled before icing.
Adding wet pomegranate seeds can make the icing run. Pat them dry and add just before serving.

Make Ahead and Storage

These bars are perfect for prepping ahead if you time the toppings right.

Storing Leftovers

Store iced blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for up to 4 days. The pomegranate seeds will hold up best if added just before serving.