Spice Bars

If you like a good, spicy cookie, this is the one. Even after adjusting the spices (1 teas. cinnamon, 1/2 teas. ginger, 1/4 teas. cloves), it is still plenty spicy. I did find the dough too dry and added 1 egg to the mixture. Baked 17 minutes and they are moist and chewy.

I think the trick with these is not to overbake. My first batch were bricks but since the flavor was great I tried again and simply watched them more closely in the oven. So without altering the ingredients they turned out great after 18 minutes of baking. (Probably could have gone 20 but I was nervous, hee hee.) Very tasty. Thanks for the recipe!

These are absolutely delicious -- I went on a cookie-making binge and tried over 25 different cookie recipes; this one was among my very favorites. Soft, sweet, and unusually flavored. If you like spice/molasses cookies, you will like these.

Such a wonderful spice bar! I agree with some of the others to undercook is the key.

tasted great, smelled great...what did I do wrong? I baked 20 minutes and they were harder they rocks. Seem they need more of some kind of liquid.

I THOUGHT THESE WERE YUMMY!! ALMOST LIKE A HERMIT BUT I THINK I WILL BAKE THEM 5 MIN. LESS CAUSE THEY WERE A LITTLE HARDER THAN I LIKE.

This one is a "WINNER" They are very easy to make & at first they don't look like their going to turn-out like anything but crumbs but when you pat them down in your baking-pan & bake WOW are they ever delicious, we only had to bake 20 min & they were done! After they were baked & still warm in the pan, we poked holes in cake w/a regular table fork so the glaze/icing could seep through the cake b/f cutting. What a treat!!! Thanks for the recipe...

This is the best spice bar I've ever tasted! Love chewy cookies and these are moist also. One of my new favorites.

I followed other reviewer's advice and added an egg and watched how long I left them in the oven. When they first came out, they tasted really good. It was odd, though, because after a few hours, they didn't taste as good. It became something of a chore to finish them off. So.. maybe skip the egg? Also, I didn't use half the icing and they were plenty sweet.

I used part margarine and part shortening and also added an egg as others suggested. I halved the recipe and baked in an 8x8 pan for 20+ minutes. I kept checking after 20 minutes to make sure not to overbake. Very tasty indeed! I loved these.

I also underbaked it a few minutes, and they turned out fabulous! Just like a soft molasses cookie. The kids loved it too. Thank you!

After reading the reviews of being too dry, I made some changes. I subbed white sugar with brown (more moist), and I decreased the amount of flour to 280 grams. I also baked for 16 mins, till it was brown on top (my over tends to be a little hotter than usual). It came out most and chewy. Absolutely the best!

The batter was very dry and crumbly...and that's how it cooked. Is this recipe missing an ingredient or has too much flour? Anyway...was disappointed with the result.

On top of the egg I added, I used 3/4 cup melted butter instead of shortening.

These spice bars were fantastic! I used another reviewer's recommendation and added an egg to the batter. Since my oven tends to run a little hot I only baked the bars for 18 minutes & they turned out perfectly. I accidentally used 1/2 T cinnamon but it worked. Hubby loved them. Will definitely make these again!

The BEST cookies anywhere! i use all the ingredients except I use 3/4 cup ( equal to 1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted land o lakes butter instead of shortening and only use 1 teaspoon of baking soda. I have been making these cookies for at least ten years now. They taste like a chewy butter cookie/gingerbread / molasses/ German lebkuckun cookie. ( not sure how to spell that). They are the easiest and fastest cookie bar possible. Comes out perfect every time. I bake mine in my whirlpool Gold oven in the middle rack for about 18 minutes. Let cool for 15, then spread on the icing. I let them cool for two hours before I cut them into bars. I butter the 9x13 pan really well and here's a tip: the edges against the pan will rise up about one inch high and 1/2 inch thick. I like this but if you don't want that to happen, use the length of your finger and press the dough down around the outside perimeter, and make a 1/3 inch indentation all the way around, like a mote around a castle. This way the whole cookie will be even. No high edges. I cut this into 1 1/2 inch by 3 inch slices after the icing has cooled and when you touch it, it does not stick to your finger, about two hours. These cookies get better with age. I will let them sit in a closed airtight container for 1 week, then put in fridge for a month, if any are left. Don't use clover honey. It will add a little orange flavor to the cookies and it destroys the flavor. Just use a regular Sue Bee Honey. I use the molasses with the yel

Don't know what I did wrong, but mine were dry and hard and I baked at a lower temperature for 25 minutes. I thought maybe it needs an egg!!

Added the raisins...next time might try adding 1/2 cup of walnuts too...these bars are delicious and so easy to make!