Directions for Cookie Bars:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a 9×13 baking dish/pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Add the flour, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and baking soda to a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
4. Add the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fully combined.
5. Add the egg, vanilla, and molasses to the mixing bowl and beat until well combined scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically with a rubber spatula to ensure all the butter and sugar are fully incorporated.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix until a soft dough is formed.
7. Turn the dough out into the prepared 9×13 baking dish and use your hands to press it out evenly into all sides of the baking dish.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only moist crumbs on it.
9. Use the parchment paper to lift the cookie bars out of the baking dish and place them on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Directions for Frosting:

1. Add the butter, vanilla, and cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy.
2. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and creamy.
3. Add the milk only if the frosting seems too dry.
4. Spread the frosting evenly on the cooled cookie bars.
5. Cut the bars into 15 equal squares.
6. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.