Gingerbread Meringue Bars Food

GINGERBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Line a 9×9-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides for lifting the bars out of the pan after baking.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until fluffy. Add molasses, egg, and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined.
• Spread dough evenly into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the top is slightly firm to touch, and a toothpick inserted into centre comes out with a few moist crumbs, not clean. Overbaking will make the bars dry. Allow to cool completely in pan.
• To make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth. Add more milk as necessary until you get a thick yet pourable consistency. Drizzle over the bars using a spoon or a piping bag. Allow glaze to set, 15-30 minutes. For easy cutting, you can place it in the fridge for 2 hours until firm. Lift out of the pan and cut into squares. Serve at room temperature.
• Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

SPICY HERMIT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the egg, scrape down the bowl, then mix in the molasses.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just until combined. Mix in the raisins and crystallized ginger. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured board, form it into a disk with lightly floured hands, and cut it in half. Roll each half into a log 12 inches long and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes; the logs will still be soft in the center.
• Meanwhile, whisk the confectioners' sugar with 5 to 6 teaspoons rum to make a pourable glaze. While the logs are still warm, drizzle the glaze back and forth across the logs with a teaspoon and sprinkle them with the lemon zest. Allow to cool. Cut each log crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-wide bars.

GINGERBREAD COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
• In medium bowl, mix Gingerbread Bar ingredients until mixed well. Spread evenly in pan (mixture will be thick). Bake 20 to 23 minutes or until set and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.
• In large bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup softened butter with electric mixer on medium speed 1 to 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until smooth and creamy. Beat in vanilla and powdered sugar until frosting is smooth and spreadable.
• Spread frosting on top of cooled bars; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. To serve, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

TOFFEE MERINGUE GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease bottom and side of 9-inch springform pan or 9-inch square pan with shortening; lightly flour. In large bowl, beat all gingerbread ingredients except toffee bits with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in 1/2 cup toffee bits. Pour into pan.
• Bake about 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in brown sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir in 1/4 cup toffee bits.
• Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Spread meringue over hot gingerbread. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until meringue is light brown. Serve warm.

EASY GINGERBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Combine sugar, butter, egg and molasses in bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger; beat at low speed until well mixed.
• Press dough into ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with decorator sugar. Bake 16-20 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool completely. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutter or cut into bars.

OLD-FASHIONED MOLASSES CAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat butter and sugar until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg. Beat in molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with water, mixing well after each addition., Transfer to a 9-in. square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares; garnish with whipped topping.