Crystallized Ginger Gingerbread Food

CRYSTALLIZED GINGER GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Line a 9 x 4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, crystallized ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg).
• In another bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar until fluffy, then stir in molasses. Add eggs one at a time, beating continuously.
• Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the yogurt/buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour; mix until smooth.
• Pour the batter into the pan and spread until even and sprinkle with raw sugar.
• Bake 50 minutes or just until the gingerbread is golden and springy to the touch, and a toothpick comes out clean.
• Let the loaf stand for a few minutes, then turn the loaf out and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Serve warm, or later!

GINGERBREAD WITH CRYSTALLIZED GINGER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan. Mix first 7 ingredients inn medium bowl. Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add molasses and egg and beat to blend. Beat in pear nectar, then dry ingredients and chopped ginger. Transfer batter to pan.
• Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer pan to rack; cool cake 15 minutes. Sift powdered sugar over cake. Cut cake into 16 squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

GINGERBREAD GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment and grease well with nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine the brown sugar with the oil, honey and molasses in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Toss together the oats, nuts, pepitas, dried cranberries, candied ginger, spices, wheat flour, wheat germ and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Pour the honey mixture on top and toss to coat. Transfer to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Spray the bottom of a second baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and use it to press the granola down into the pan evenly. Sprinkle the holiday sprinkles on top.
• Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely, then remove from the baking sheet and cut into fourteen 1 1/2-by-4-inch bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or freeze for up to 2 months.

CRYSTALLIZED-GINGER SPICE BARS

Steps:

• In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and ground spices. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg, flour mixture, crystallized ginger, and zest and beat until a dough forms.
• On a sheet of wax paper pat dough into an 8-by-5 inch rectangle, about 1 inch thick. Chill dough, wrapped in wax paper, 4 hours, or until firm.
• (After the dough has been formed into a rectangle it can be kept in the refrigerator for one week or the freezer for one month. Thaw the frozen dough in the refrigerator until sliceable, about four hours. The baked cookies keep in airtight containers at room temperature for four days.)
• Preheat oven to 350° F. and lightly butter 2 baking sheets.
• Cut dough crosswise into slices about 1/6 inch thick and arrange about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake bars in batches in middle of oven until deep golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes, and transfer to racks to cool. The baked cookies keep in airtight containers at room temperature for four days.

EXTRA GINGERY BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour a 10 inch springform pan.
• Stir together flour, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt.
• In a large bowl, mix sugar with oil, juice, molasses, eggs, and fresh ginger in a large bowl. Mix in crystallized ginger. Stir in flour mixture. Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake for 1 hour, or until cake tester comes out clean. Run a knife around the edge to loosen cake, and release pan sides. Serve warm.

CRYSTALLIZED OR CANDIED GINGER

Steps:

• Cut ginger into 2-inch pieces and slice lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices. Score ginger slices by pricking with a fork.
• Toss ginger with sugar in a bowl.
• Combine ginger-sugar mixture and water in a large skillet or wok; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar melts into a syrup and starts to crystallize, about 1 hour. Continue stirring until syrup is mostly crystallized and ginger comes together in a pile in the center of the skillet and very little syrup drains out; remove from heat.
• Toss ginger slices gently to cool and separate from excess sugar. Spread slices out on a tray to cool and dry.

TRIPLE-GINGER MUFFINS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, butter, eggs, milk, molasses and grated ginger, and whisk until smooth.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. (Be careful not to overmix! The batter will be slightly lumpy.) Stir in 3/4 cup crystallized ginger, reserving the remaining 3 tablespoons for the topping.
• Using an ice cream scoop or a large spoon, divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the reserved crystallized ginger onto the tops of the muffins, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the muffins spring back when lightly pressed. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then carefully transfer muffins to a cooling rack and cool completely.

CRYSTALLIZED GINGERBREAD CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, molasses and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt and pepper; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and crystallized ginger. Refrigerate, covered, until firm enough to shape, at least 2 hours., Preheat oven to 350°. Shape level tablespoons of dough into balls; roll in additional sugar. Place 2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until until set and edges begin to brown, 8-10 minutes. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in airtight containers.

CRYSTALLIZED GINGER

Steps:

• Place ginger in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Partially cover saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; boil until ginger is almost cooked through but still slightly al dente, about 1 hour. Drain.
• Weigh cooked ginger and return it to saucepan with an equal amount of sugar. Add 2 tablespoons water; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring, until ginger becomes translucent, about 20 minutes.
• Reduce heat and continue cooking, stirring, until ginger is crystallized and begins to clump in the middle of the pan.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle a large rimmed baking sheet with sugar. Pour crystallized ginger onto prepared baking sheet and roll in sugar, separating pieces. Transfer to a sterilized jar and store in a cool place for 3 to 6 months.

GINGERBREAD MUFFINS WITH CRYSTALLIZED GINGER TOPPING

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice in medium bowl until combined.
• Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, and buttermilk in large bowl until combined. Add melted butter and whisk vigorously until thick and homogeneous.
• Whisk half of dry ingredients into wet ingredients until two begin to come together and then add remaining dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula or wooden spoon until just combined (do not overmix).
• For Topping: Process crystallized ginger with sugar in food processor until finely ground.
• Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop batter into greased muffin tin.
• Sprinkle portion of ginger sugar over each muffin. Bake until golden and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through baking time.
• Cool muffins in tin for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack and cool for 10 more minutes. Serve warm.