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These Gingerbread Brownies are the perfect thing to bake while you enjoy Christmas music!
Christmastime is truly my favorite time of year. The decor, music, gifts… but most of all the COOKIES!
If I had to pick between a cookie and a brownie … well, I’d pick both.
And that’s how this recipe came to exist!
I had tons of leftover Gingerbread cookies, and I was just going to freeze them – but then I thought I might be able to rework them into something even more delicious!
So these Gingerbread Brownies were created.
They’re super fun, adorable, and perfect for any Christmas party or potluck.
How to Make Gingerbread Brownies
Why Your Brownie Pan is SO Important
- Whenever you bake any brownie recipe, I highly recommend using a light-colored metal baking pan – like my favorite pan here.
- The darker the color, the more likely you are to have dry or even burnt edges.
- Glass or ceramic baking pans will take LONGER to bake these brownies, and the center may not set properly.
- Learn more about Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans in this post here.
- I like to line my pan with parchment or foil, leaving an overhang so I can easily lift out the entire pan of brownies to cut and serve.
The Spices in Gingerbread Brownies
We are using cinnamon and ginger to enhance the gingerbread flavor in these gingerbread brownies. Check your spices to ensure they’re not expired. Even if they’re not expired, give them a sniff and make sure they’re still very aromatic. Older spices carry less flavor; fresh spices will carry a LOT more flavor. So, just be aware of that and adjust accordingly.
How to Make Fudgy Brownies
To ensure you don’t accidentally add too much flour or cocoa (which is very easy to accidentally do), I recommend using a digital kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, be sure to lightly spoon your flour and cocoa into your measuring cup so you don’t unintentionally compact too much into the measuring cup. Read more about how to measure your ingredients accurately here. If you accidentally add too much flour or cocoa powder, your brownies may be dry and cakey, instead of moist and fudgy.
What Type of Gingerbread Cookies Do I Need?
- My homemade gingerbread cookie recipe is ultra soft and super simple, so I highly encourage you to give that a try, and use up the leftovers in this recipe!
- Storbought gingerbread cookies should also work, though I haven’t tried this myself.
- The baked gingerbread cookies get crumbled into the brownie batter and are also studded on top, for the cutest Christmas brownies ever.
- I used this set of gingerbread men cookie cutters, which include a mini size – but you should be able to find the mini size at many hobby and kitchen supply stores (Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, Sur la Table, Walmart, etc).
Can I Double the Recipe?
Yes! To double this recipe, bake in a 9 by 13-inch metal baking pan for about 35 to 40 minutes.
Making Gingerbread Brownies Ahead of Time
You can bake and store the gingerbread brownies in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 4 days in the fridge. The brownies are even fudgier when chilled! The cookies on top become softer as time passes after the brownies have been baked.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
Be sure to check out my Christmas Headquarters page for more holiday baking recipes!
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10
tablespoons
(142 grams) unsalted butter
-
4
ounces
(113 grams) semisweet chocolate,
chopped
-
3/4
cup
(150 grams) granulated sugar
-
1/4
cup
(50 grams) light brown sugar
-
2
large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
-
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
3/4
cup
(95 grams) all-purpose flour
-
1/4
cup
(25 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
-
1/4
teaspoon
fine salt
-
1
teaspoon
ground cinnamon
-
1
teaspoon
ground ginger
-
1/2
cup
crumbled gingerbread cookies, plus more whole baked gingerbread men,
for topping
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a light-colored metal 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
-
In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and butter. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Add the sugars to the hot butter mixture and whisk vigorously until combined. Allow to cool until just barely warm.
-
Add in eggs, yolk, and vanilla extract and whisk for about 1 minute, or until very well combined. This helps create that shiny crust on top.
-
Use a rubber spatula to stir in flour, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger until just combined. Stir in the chopped gingerbread cookies.
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Pour into prepared pan and smooth out. Arrange whole baked gingerbread men over the surface. Note: once you press a cookie into the batter it's very difficult to move it without breaking it!
-
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. If the gingerbread men begin to brown too much, cover with aluminum foil (though this wasn't an issue for me). Let cool completely before slicing and serving.
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You can bake and store the brownies in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 4 days in the fridge.
This post was originally published in 2018 and has been updated with additional baking tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I love all your recipes (I have your book too), but could you please include a metric converter in your site: we Brits (and Europeans, who I still class myself amongst) spend so much time converting your cups and tablespoons to grams. We could be using this precious time to bake more yummy stuff. Thanks for your inspiration. Dx
Hi Dina! Most of Tessa’s recipes do list ingredients in grams (this one included!). A few of our older recipes have not yet been updated with metric ingredients, but don’t worry – we’re working on it! In the meantime, we do have a cheatsheet for common ingredient weights that you can have sent right to your email – click here!
This is a great recipe for brownies. Very yummy. Dense and rich. The only thing is that I think it needs a little more “gingerbread” flavor. Any suggestions? Will definitely be making them again.
Glad you enjoyed them, Kathy 🙂 Feel free to experiment with the spices to get your preferred taste!
Please come out with a Pan Bar Cookbook!
I love all your recipes. I make pan bars and Bundt
Cakes most of the time.
Thanks for considering amongst all the other
work you have on your to do list.
Merry Christmas
Thanks for your suggestion, Tammy! Glad you’re loving all of Tessa’s recipes, thanks so much for sharing!
These are so cute, Tessa! So creative.