Sourdough Gingerbread Iced Oatmeal Cookie Bars

These sourdough gingerbread iced oatmeal cookie bars are soft, chewy, and warmly spiced. Topped with maple cinnamon icing, they’re a festive holiday cookie bar easy to make for a crowd!

Made with sourdough discard and classic gingerbread spices, these easy cookie bars can be made in under an hour. There’s no chilling the batter and no long fermentation time.

Looking for more sourdough gingerbread recipes? Try my sourdough gingerbread coffee cake and sourdough gingerbread coffee cake muffins. My sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia and sourdough discard coffee cake are perfect for a special holiday breakfast.

Scroll down for the recipe card, followed by detailed step-by-step instructions (with photos).

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Sourdough Gingerbread Iced Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Sourdough Gingerbread Iced Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Annabelle

These sourdough gingerbread oatmeal cookie bars are soft, chewy, and warmly spiced. Topped with maple cinnamon icing, they're a festive holiday cookie bar easy to make for a crowd!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 24 cookie bars

Calories 290 kcal

Ingredients

  

Sourdough Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookie Bars

• ½ cup salted butter 1 stick, melted
• ¾ cup brown sugar packed
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons molasses
• 1 egg room temperature
• ½ cup sourdough discard
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 & ½ teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups quick oats

Maple Cinnamon Icing

• ⅔ cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 – 2 teaspoons milk

Instructions

 

Sourdough Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookie Bars

• Preheat oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a 9×13 glass baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add vanilla extract, molasses, egg, and sourdough discard. Mix to combine and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Stir together baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a separate bowl. Add spice mixture to batter and mix. Add flour and scrape down the sides of the bowl to combine. Add the oats and mix well.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and use a spatula to spread evenly to the edges and corners.
• Bake at 350℉ (177℃) for 22-24 minutes until browned all over and the middle is mostly set when you gently shake the pan. See note about baking time and testing doneness.
Key tip: Don't over bake! The secret to soft, chewy cookie bars is to slightly underbake them.

Maple Cinnamon Icing

• Once cookie bars are completely cooled, mix up the icing by combining the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Add the maple syrup and mix. Add the milk one teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired thickness of the icing.
• Spoon the icing onto cooled cookie bars and spread evenly. Cut the cookie bars before the icing cools and hardens to avoid cracks, see note. After slicing, allow the icing to cool and harden before serving.

Notes

Molasses – Do not use blackstrap molasses for this recipe or your cookie bars may be bitter. Use light or dark molasses for baking. Grandma’s Original Unsulphered Molasses is a good brand to use.

Oats – Using quick oats for this recipe makes the bars softer. You can use old fashioned oats as well, but pulse them in a blender or food processor first to break them up.

Baking – The cookie bars will get very brown all over from the molasses. It’s not burnt, it just needs to be browned and the center not jiggle when you gently shake the pan. 

To Slice – To cut cookie bars so the icing stays smooth and doesn’t crack, slice them before the icing dries. Spoon on the icing and spread evenly. Use a large sharp knife to slice the cookie bars into squares, running the knife under warm water and drying with a clean dish towel between slices.

To Make Ahead – If wanting to serve these cookie bars the next day, don’t add the icing right away or it will start to soak into the bars overnight. Make the cookie bars and allow to fully cool and cover the pan with plastic wrap. The next day add the icing and slice the bars, allowing the icing to harden before serving. This makes sure you’re serving fresh, beautiful cookie bars!

I love this recipe because it’s so easy but so special. Something about gingerbread makes a dessert feel delightfully festive to me. An extra treat of a treat! Gingerbread feels as nostalgic as Christmas lights and running down the stairs on Christmas morning. 

It’s one of my favorite flavors of the holiday season. So combining gingerbread with oatmeal cookies and making a spin on my popular sourdough iced oatmeal cookie bars was a must.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• These sourdough gingerbread cookie bars are simple to make. They use pantry ingredients you already have on hand in an easy one-bowl recipe.
• They’re quick! Just mix, pour, and bake. There’s no chilling the batter or scooping individual cookies. There’s one bake time and you’re good to go. 
• It’s a large batch recipe. This recipe makes a generous 9×13 pan that can be sliced into 24 cookie bar squares. Perfect for serving at your holiday gathering!
• They’re easy to make ahead of time. They take the stress out of holiday baking while still creating a special, nostalgic treat.

Important Ingredients

Sourdough gingerbread iced oatmeal cookie bars use mostly pantry staples to create a festive, nostalgic holiday treat. Take note for:

• Oats – Use quick oats for this recipe to make the bars softer and fluffier. You can use old fashioned oats as well, but pulse them in a blender or food processor first to break them up. If you leave them whole the bars will not be as soft and chewy.
• Molasses – Do not use blackstrap molasses for this recipe or your cookie bars may be bitter. Use light or dark molasses for baking. Grandma’s Original Unsulphered Molasses is a good brand to use and what I use for my recipes.
• Sourdough discard or active sourdough starter – Yes, you can use either one! Since you’re using sourdough discard or starter to enhance the flavor, you can use either one you have on hand. 
• Vanilla extract – Maybe I’m biased, but there is nothing like the flavor of homemade vanilla extract. I think it levels up any sweet treat recipe. Any kind of vanilla extract will do, but if you want to kick it up a notch, use homemade. I like this recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen.

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card above.

How to Make Sourdough Iced Oatmeal Cookie Bars (Step by Step)

Sourdough Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a 9×13 glass baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add the vanilla extract, molasses, egg, and sourdough discard. Mix to combine and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Step 3: Stir together baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a separate bowl. Add spice mixture to batter and mix. Add flour and scrape down the sides of the bowl to combine. Add the oats and mix well.

Step 4: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and use a spatula to spread evenly to the edges and corners.

Step 5: Bake at 350℉ (177℃) for 22-24 minutes until browned all over and the middle is mostly set when you gently shake the pan. The cookie bars will get very brown all over from the molasses. It’s not burnt, it just needs to be browned and the center not jiggle when you gently shake the pan. 

Key tip: Don’t over bake! They secret to soft, chewy cookie bars is to slightly underbake them.

Allow the cookie bars to cool while you making the icing. You want the cookie bars to be completely cool and fully set before you slice them so you cut clean, precise slices.

Maple Cinnamon Icing

Step 1: Once cookie bars are completely cooled, mix up the icing by combining the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Add the maple syrup and mix. Add the milk one teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired thickness of the icing.

Step 2: Spoon the icing onto cooled cookie bars and spread evenly. To cut the cookie bars so the icing stays smooth and doesn’t crack, slice them before the icing dries

Slicing the Cookie Bars

Once you’ve spooned on the icing, use a large, sharp knife to slice the cookie bars into squares. Run the knife under warm water and dry it with a clean dish towel between slices. 

Key tip: You want each slice with the knife to be clean and have no excess crumbs or icing that pulls away from the cookie bars.

Gently separate the bars slightly with the knife and allow the icing to dry. Serve and enjoy!

How to Make Ahead

Making treats or dishes ahead of time can save a lot of stress during the busy holiday season, but doing it correctly is the key.

Key tip: These sourdough oatmeal cookie bars will start to get soft overnight from the icing soaking into them so I recommend adding the icing the day you’ll be serving them.

To make ahead, bake the cookie bars according to the recipe. Allow to fully cool and cover the pan with plastic wrap overnight. The next day add the icing and slice the bars, allowing the icing to harden before serving.

How to Serve

Sourdough gingerbread cookie bars are served best with a cup of coffee or warm cup of tea. A cozy treat needs a cozy drink, right? A glass of milk is also delicious and one of my favorite husband’s favorite ways to enjoy these cookie bars as an after-dinner snack.

How to Store

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Or cover the glass baking pan tightly with plastic wrap.

How to Gift

Gifting these cookie bar squares to neighbors, your child’s teacher at school, or to coworkers is simple and easy. Simply tuck your sourdough gingerbread cookie bars into an adorable bakery box. They’re easy to use and make any baked goods look professional. 

I love tying up treat boxes with twine and this festive holiday twine is the perfect match. Top it off with a customizable gift tag and it’s perfect for any occasion!

Frequently Asked Questions

These sourdough gingerbread iced oatmeal cookie bars are delicious, wholesome, and nostalgic. They combine simple ingredients into a festive cookie bar everyone will love. You can make holiday baking easy while still bringing the wow-factor at your next holiday party. Enjoy!

Remember to leave a rating and comment sharing how you enjoyed this recipe!