Gingerbread Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

These were yummy :) They are cakey and muffin-like and the icing gave it something extra. I made half of the recipe in an 8x8 pan since I made a few desserts in testing them out for my parent's Christmas Party this weekend. I love trying new recipes but hate serving them if they're not great or just okay. These were good, however, I will be going with another dessert for the party (Gingerbread Blondies - fabulous!!) in addition to the obligatory Premier Cranberry Cheesecake Bars and Cookies n' Cream Mint Brownies (recipe for that will be up next week after I bake them!).

Adapted from: www.recipecircus.com

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg1 tablespoon McCormick® Ground Ginger
1 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Cinnamon
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup molasses (I used honey since I didn't have molasses)
2 tablespoons water

Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Grease 9x13x2-inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Cream butter in large mixer bowl. Beat in 3/4 cup sugar, egg, ginger, and cinnamon.
3. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Add to butter mixture and mix well. Stir in molasses and water; mix until just blended. Spread in prepared pan.
4. Beat Lemon Cream Cheese Icing ingredients until smooth. Using 1/2 cup lemon icing, spoon dollops (about 1 teaspoon each) over batter in pan. With a knife, swirl through ginger base with large strokes. Bake 28-30 minutes or until batter begins to pull away from pan edges. Cool 30 minutes.
5. Spread remaining lemon icing over bars. Cut using a sharp knife. Store in refrigerator. (My kitchen counter was fine since our heat isn't working....the beauty of living in an old house!)