Thick, chewy, and perfectly spiced, these chocolate gingerbread bars are delicious! Make a pan of these for the holidays, or anytime you’re in the mood for a treat.
There’s nothing like a thick, chocolatey brownie. And if it’s the holiday season, how about adding a little spice to the mix?
That’s what makes these gluten free chocolate gingerbread bars so special. It’s like the marriage of two favorite desserts – brownies and gingerbread. These are rich, yummy, and easy to make.
This is a simple recipe to make allergy friendly – these bars are gluten free, vegan, and free of the top 8 allergens.
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Ingredient Notes
- Vegan Buttery Spread – I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread in the tub. You could also use the baking sticks if you prefer.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – Namaste Perfect Flour Blend works well in this recipe. I also like using my homemade gluten free flour blend. Other store bought flour blends will probably also work well. I don’t recommend making these with coconut flour – they will not rise as well, and may be dense. Almond meal will result in a dense texture.
- Gingerbread Spices – Spices like ground ginger and cinnamon give this dessert a great flavor.
- Applesauce – Use applesauce in place of eggs for moisture and to bind the batter together.
- Non-Dairy Milk – Use a neutral tasting non-dairy milk like unsweetened coconut milk, soy milk, or rice milk. You could also use water.
- Dairy Free Chocolate Chips – Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips or PASCHA Chocolate chips will work well in this recipe.
Substitutions
- If you aren’t gluten free, you can use regular, all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour if you prefer.
- You can use any fruit puree in place of applesauce.
- Try dark chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or white chocolate chips for variety.
Storage/Freezing
These will stay fresh if you store them in an airtight container or a ziploc bag. They should stay fresh for about 5 days.
You can freeze these if you like. Wrap each bar in waxed paper and place in a ziploc freezer bag. You can freeze them up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
These are delicious plain, but you could drizzle some dairy free buttercream frosting on top, or serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
More Gingerbread Recipes
These chocolate gingerbread bars were a huge hit with my family! They’re rich, chewy, and have a hint of spice that goes so well with the chocolate.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
Chocolate Gingerbread Bars (Gluten Free, Vegan).
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons vegan buttery spread melted
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup gluten free flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup unsulfured molasses
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce or prune puree
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk or water
- ½ cup dairy free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place a piece of parchment paper in an 8 inch square baking dish so that it hangs over both sides.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon.
- Add the melted vegan buttery spread, unsweetened applesauce, and non-dairy milk. Stir until smooth.
- Stir in the dairy free chocolate chips.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth it out with the back of a spoon.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 24-29 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the bars to cool before slicing with a sharp knife.
Katie
Delicious recipe!
Deb Collins
This recipe was so tempting until I discovered that the GF flour had xanthan gum in it. I am wondering if I could get away with trying the recipe, using my own flour/starch combination, with the xanthan gum.
Thanks for sharing the recipe idea. It’s a good one!
Kelly Roenicke
You can use my blend, it’s free of xanthan gum!
Joyce
Thes chocolate gingerbread bars look so delicious. When I first looked at them I thought they were brownies. Delicious either way! Thanks for sharing!
Kelly
Hope you love them!
Nadine
Hey Kelly,
I love the recipe redux idea- I probably even have some chinese 5 spices powder that expired in 2006 in my cupboard, so feel free to post a recipe! :P haha
These bars look amazing, I will definitely try them soon!! But do you absolutely need the molasses in there or can I leave them out? Because I don’t have any at home.. ;)
Thank you,
Nadine
Kelly
If you don’t want to do molasses, I would up the other spices to add more gingerbread flavor and be prepared to add a little more of another liquid (maybe maple syrup) to keep them moist.
Sandra
These look seriously amazing! Question: Could I use soaked dates in place of the prune puree and coconut nectar in place of the molasses? Thanks!
Kelly
I think you could! I haven’t tried that, but if you do, let me know how it goes! Thank you so much for the compliment!
genevieve @ gratitude and greens
I love gingerbread! I actually have some ginger sitting around the house, and since it’s been grey and rainy, I feel like these would be the perfect pick me up. I hope you re-share this around Christmas time because I’ll be going on a mad ginger recipe hunting spree then!!
Kelly
Thanks, Genevieve! You should make them now, why wait until December? :)
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven
Chocolate and gingerbread is my ultimate combo! These look so perfectly soft and chewy! Totally wishing I had a few to go with my coffee this morning!
Kelly
Thanks, Sarah!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
These bars sound delicious, Kelly! I love the chocolate and gingerbread combo. Perfect!
Kelly
Thanks, Gayle!
wearenotmartha
I probably need to clean out my spice cabinet too….
I LOVE the ginger and chocolate combination and these bars look seriously awesome!
Sues
Kelly
Thank you!
olivia - Primavera Kitchen
These bars look so soft and chewy! Love how healthy they are too ;-)
Kelly
Thank you!
Marie @ Nourish You Delicious
I love this combo and they look so moist and delicious!!
Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil)
Ooh whee – chocolate + gingerbread? Sing me up! Look forward to baking these.
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely
These bars look delicious! Love how healthy they are. We’re having a nice rainy spring day here in California. Would love to make these and cozy up on the couch : )