Gingerbread Bars with an Orange Icing

Makes a 10×15-inch baking dish (I use a Pyrex glass dish)

Ingredients:

 01.    ½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

 02.    ⅔ c. sugar

 03.    2 large eggs

 04.    ⅔ c. light molasses

 05.    1 c. water

 06.    3¼ c. flour (I use King Arthur’s Unbleached All-Purpose Flour)

 07.    2 tsp. baking soda

 08.    2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or substitute with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, & ¼ tsp ground cloves)

 09.    4 c. (1 lb. box) confectioner’s powdered sugar

 10.    ½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

 11.    2 Tbsp. milk

 12.    1 Tbsp. orange juice

 13.    1 Tbsp. freshly grated orange peel/zest

 14.    1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

 15.    1 tsp. pure orange extract or 1 Tbsp. orange liqueur

Directions:

 * Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 15×10-inch baking dish.

 * In a large bowl, beat item the butter & sugar together for 2 minutes. Then beat in both eggs until well blended. Beat in items 4-8 mixing well.

 * Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester or tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a rack.

 * For frosting, beat items 9-15 together until smooth. Frost cooled cake.

 * Cover and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

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