Gingerbread Bars (Paleo!)

Soft and moist cake-like gingerbread bars with that classic gingerbread flavor and scent. Paleo, gluten free, dairy free, and delicious! Serve with a big scoop of Gingerbread Ice Cream for even more gingerbread goodness.

Sneha said: “This was delicious – we went through them way too quickly. Will definitely make them again in the future. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“

Who here associates gingerbread with Christmas? Go on, raise your hand. Let's see… one, two, twenty, everyone. Got it. I used to be the same way.

For the longest time, I believed that gingerbread was meant to be strictly in cookie form, in the shape of little men with no phalanges or neck, decorated with royal icing, and eaten only at Christmas.

You draw little worried faces on them, eat their legs and arms, and make quiet screaming noises until you bite off their heads when they can no longer feel pain.

… what, just me? If you haven't figured it out yet, I have a dark sense of humor, you guys.

What is gingerbread made of?

Classic gingerbread recipes typically call for a range of spices that includes: ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and some people include cardamom and anise.

As for sweeteners, it's typically a combination of brown sugar, molasses and/or dark corn syrup.

However, since I've made this recipe more paleo-friendly, we're going a little off the old fashioned path by using coconut sugar in lieu of the other sweeteners.

Gingerbread is different than gingerbread cookies

But anyway – one day I discovered gingerbread. Not gingerbread cookies, but gingerbread. I fully recognize that's totally backwards since it originally started as a moist loaf cake and not anatomically incorrect cookies.

Side note: I've also heard these called “ginger molasses bars”, which certainly helps clear up any confusion.

I never realized that it could be a perfectly fluffy cake with the same flavors, and could be topped with any number of frostings – cream cheese, brown butter, maple buttercream, etc.

Just look at that moist crumb – it's everything I never knew I needed in a gingerbread bar.

Is molasses paleo-friendly?

I will admit, some of you might not believe these are truly paleo because of the molasses, but like I've mentioned before I believe that moderation is key. Just make sure you're using pure blackstrap molasses and everything will be a-okay.

Molasses is the dark syrup left over after sugar cane crystals are removed during sugar cane production, molasses is the dark syrup left after sugar cane crystals are removed. Sugar cane is a natural plant, so technically it's Paleo-compliant – but if you disagree, I totally get it.

Can I add a frosting to the top of gingerbread bars?

You totally could! But I'll be honest – I haven't come up with a paleo frosting that I like yet, since everything I've tried has to be refrigerated or is just too runny for my taste.

Here are some of my favorite frostings that would be great on top of these bars:

• Cream cheese frosting
• Cookie butter frosting
• Mascarpone whipped cream frosting
• White chocolate frosting

But the great thing about these gingerbread bars is that they really don't need to be topped with anything. If you underbake them just slightly, they're so moist and flavorful that you'll be perfectly content without frosting.

Ingredients for paleo gingerbread bars

• ½ cup almond butter
• ⅓ cup coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, solid
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• ¼ cup molasses
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cup almond flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt

How to make gingerbread bars

Even though these are paleo, it's a pretty easy gingerbread recipe – so don't let that scare you off!

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together almond butter, coconut sugar, and coconut oil until smooth.
2. Add eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed to combine.
3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt.
4. Add dry ingredients to a bowl of wet ingredients and stir until completely combined.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only moist crumbs.

Boom! That's it, my friends.

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Paleo Gingerbread Bars

4.67 from 18 votes

Soft and moist cake-like bars with that classic gingerbread flavor and scent. Paleo, gluten free, dairy free, and delicious!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 bars (or 9 large)

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Equipment

• Square baking pan
• Stand Mixer
• Mixing bowls
• Whisk

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ½ cup almond butter
• ⅓ cup coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, solid
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• ¼ cup molasses
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cup almond flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line an 8×8” square pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together almond butter, coconut sugar and coconut oil until smooth.
  1/2 cup (125 g) almond butter

  1/3 cup (53 ⅓ g) coconut sugar

  2 tablespoons coconut oil
• Add eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed to combine.
  2 eggs

  1/4 cup (84 ¼ g) molasses

  2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, clovers and salt.
  1 3/4 cup (196 g) almond flour

  1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1 teaspoon ginger

  1/4 teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) nutmeg

  1/4 teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) ground cloves

  1/2 teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt
• Add dry ingredients to bowl of wet ingredients and stir until completely combined.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only moist crumbs.
• Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Cut into 9-16 squares and enjoy!

Notes

Note: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 116mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 31IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

The provided nutrition information is generated by an automatic API and does not take variations across specific brands into account. This information is provided as a general guideline and should not be treated as official calculations. Learn more here.

Recipe created by Leslie Kiszka