Mimi's Organic Eats » Recipes » Christmas » Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Cookie Bars

Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Cookie Bars

High Altitude • Christmas | Published December 10, 2023 by Mimi Council

This website uses affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase.

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

These decadent Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Cookie Bars bring together the warm spices of gingerbread with the rich allure of dark chocolate. The golden sweetness of maple and caramel tie these festive bars together!

If you’re looking for more gingerbread recipes, check out some of my other favorites like my Frosted Gingerbread Banana Bread, Gingerbread Florentines, or my classic Eggless Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookies.

maple caramel dark chocolate gingerbread bars

Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Tools Needed
Step by Step Instructions
Baker's Tips
FAQ's
Craving More?

I created this recipe with my friends at Lake Champlain Chocolates using their Organic Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Bars. These gingerbread bars are incredibly flavorful and they are bursting with gooey maple caramel inside!

These Organic Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Bars would be a present all in itself as they are so good! But, they are even better in these festive gingerbread bars! This recipe would make the perfect addition to any holiday cookie box!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Soft & Chewy: These Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Cookie Bars are soft and chewy, just like a gingerbread cookie but in bar form! These are similar texture to a brownie or blondie.

Holiday Inspired: This recipe is holiday inspired without being overly festive, which is what I love about them! All the warm and comforting spices of gingerbread, but with the decadence of dark chocolate, maple, and caramel! These gingerbread bars are a real treat.

Chocolate: Need I say more? Everything is better with chocolate! My husband is not a huge fan of gingerbread (unlike me, who’s obsessed), but he loved these Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Bars! So, if you have a chocolate lover in your life, you can still spread a little holiday cheer with this recipe.

Ingredients

Butter: I use Organic Valley Salted Butter. Make sure it's soft. You can also use unsalted butter if you prefer, just add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
Dark Brown Sugar: I use my homemade dark brown sugar recipe, but store bought also works! Dark brown sugar really gives these a gingerbread flavor because it has more molasses.
Cane Sugar: I also use organic cane sugar.
Vanilla Extract: My favorite is Simply Organic.
Eggs: Make sure to use organic large eggs. Eggs that are too small can make the dough dry and eggs that are too large can make it too wet, which can cause them to sink.
All Purpose Flour: I'm using Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour.
Spices: I use organic cinnamon, ginger, and cloves for what I believe is the holy trio for gingerbread. You don't need anything else!
Baking Soda: I use baking soda because these bars have brown sugar. For more info on leavening agents when to use which one, read my post Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder.
Salt: Make sure to use a fine sea salt.
Chocolate Bars: I use Lake Champlain Chocolates Organic Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Bars in this recipe as they provide loads and loads of flavor! They are brining the dark chocolate, maple, and caramel all in one ingredient. That makes this recipe incredibly easy with minimal ingredients!

Tools Needed

Scale: Always use a digital food scale for the best results.
Stand Mixer: I use my stand mixer for ease, but a hand mixer also works.
Baking Pan: I use an 8×8-inch baking pan.
Parchment Paper: Always use parchment paper so you can easily remove bars from the pan, this is key to success in removal.

Subscribe to Mimi's Organic Eats Channel

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for all the latest videos. Bake and cook along with John John and me on YouTube!

Subscribing is easy and just by subscribing, you are directly supporting my site!

SUBSCRIBE

woman sharing cookies with pug in kitchen

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Step 2

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, dark brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and there are no butter chunks.

Add the eggs, flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking soda, and sea salt in that order. Mix on low until combined into a smooth dough.

Step 3

Chop the chocolate bars into small pieces. Reserve about 1/4 of the chocolate and set aside. Add the 3/4 of the chocolate pieces into the cookie dough and mix on low until combined.

Step 4

Press the dough into the prepared pan evenly. Add the remaining chocolate 1/4 of the chocolate pieces on top of the bars.

Step 5

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top looks set, cracked, and golden brown. Sprinkle with cane sugar immediately after coming out of the oven. Allow to cool completely in the pan.

Step 6

Cut into 9 bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Baker's Tips

Use soft butter. The best way to soften butter is at room temperature. I like to leave mine out on the counter overnight to soften naturally. If you must microwave it, only do 10 second intervals per ½ cup, even if you have to do that twice. This will help prevent portions of the butter from melting completely.
I use dark brown sugar, which is key for gingerbread! If you only have light brown sugar, you can use that, but they won’t be as dark in color or as rich in flavor. The only difference in light brown sugar and dark brown sugar is the amount of molasses, which provides more flavor. You can make your own Homemade Dark Brown Sugar with my easy recipe!
Using parchment paper is key so the bars remove easily from the pan. If you are not using parchment paper, then be sure to grease your pan incredibly well with butter.
I sprinkle these with cane sugar right when they come out of the oven so they are a little sparkly. This is totally optional and mostly just for looks, but I also love the subtle sweetness it adds.
Make sure to allow the bars to cool completely before removing from the pan as this will prevent them from breaking. I like to stick the bars in the freezer for a few minutes before removing, that way they cut very clean and easily!
Be sure to store these cookie bars in an airtight container so they keep their soft and chewy texture.

FAQ's

Can I use another kind of chocolate?

Yes, you can use another type of chocolate for this recipe. But, these Organic Maple Caramel Dark Chocolate Bars have a very distinct flavor and are what is contributing to the maple and caramel portion of this recipe. If you were to replace this with just plain dark chocolate, you'd just be making gingerbread bars with dark chocolate.

Can I make these at high altitude?

Yes, all my recipes have one simple adjustment to bake up beautifully at high altitude! Just look in the Notes section of the recipe if you are baking above 5,000 feet for the instructions on baking time.

Can I make these gluten free?

Yes, you can! I did not test these gluten free, which is why there's no Note at the bottom of the recipe. But, I've been doing a lot of testing with Tiger Nut Flour lately and it is a really to 1 to 1 replacement for all purpose flour. So, I'm confident to say that you could just replace the all purpose flour with Tiger Nut Flour. You could also try your favorite gluten free flour blend as well. Just make sure the dough resembles how it looks in the video and you can add a little more flour if needed.