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).
These simple chocolate gingerbread bars are the perfect holiday treat. These gluten free bars are rich and chocolatey, with a little spice!
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
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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.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon.
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Add the melted vegan buttery spread, unsweetened applesauce, and non-dairy milk. Stir until smooth.
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Stir in the dairy free chocolate chips.
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Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth it out with the back of a spoon.
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Bake at 350 degrees F for about 24-29 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
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Allow the bars to cool before slicing with a sharp knife.
Recipe Notes
Store leftover bars in an airtight container for up to five days.
You can freeze these – wrap each bar in waxed paper, then store in a ziploc freezer bag. They should stay fresh in the freezer for about 3 months.
Use any kind of chocolate chips you like – dark chocolate, chocolate chunks, or white chocolate chips will all work well.
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 : )