There are those who love the taste of ginger and those who hate it.
I put myself in the category of those who absolutely love it. I will buy anything I see that has ginger in it,.. ginger preserves, ginger cookies, ginger chews candy, ginger beer....you name it..I buy it.!
Did you know that even Hagen Daz has come out with a Ginger Ice Cream in their Five Ingredient line? If you haven't tried it, and you love ginger as much as I do, you just have to run out and get it..! Well, not right this minute.. Right now, I'm about to tell you about the most delicious ginger cookie that was posted on FB, recently.
Nick Malgieri, author of those fabulous baking cookbooks posted a recipe for Ginger Bar Cookies, this past weekend. They are laced with candied ginger and topped with a thin veil of luscious lemon icing.
As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to run out to buy all the necessary ingredients that I didn't already have in my pantry. and, um, well..I had also run out of candied ginger!
The recipe was not at all difficult and they turned out to be my new favorite.
To keep myself from eating them all, I decided to freeze some and that turns out, is a great way to store them, because if you're like me, you'll eat them up, if left sitting on the counter in a cookie tin. I found that layering them between sheets of waxed paper, did the trick. Now when I want one, I can just pop it in the microwave for 9-10 seconds and have a cookie that tastes exactly like the day I baked them. The icing stays intact and the texture is nice and crumbly. Please..if you love ginger..try them. You won't be disappointed.
LEMON GINGER BARS
Makes 24 2-inch bars
GINGER DOUGH
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons ground ginger (more if you like)...add more!!
2 teaspoons baking powder
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger ( I increased it to 1/2 cup.. )
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
LEMON GLAZE
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted after measuring
3 tablespoons lemon juice, strained before measuring
One 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan lined with buttered foil
1. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, ground ginger, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
3. Melt the butter over medium heat and immediately add to the dry ingredients; use a large rubber spatula to stir to a smooth, shiny dough. Add the egg, crystallized ginger, honey and lemon zest and beat vigorously to make a smooth dough.
4. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and use the floured palm of your hand to evenly press it over the bottom of the pan. Don’t be concerned if the dough looks greasy after pressing it onto the pan – the butter will be reabsorbed while baking.
5. Bake the bars until well risen, firm, and lightly golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.
6. While the bars are baking, use a small rubber spatula to beat the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice together. Add water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, if it’s too thick to spread.
7. As soon as the bars are baked, place a cutting board on the pan and use oven mitts to invert the hot bars to the board. Remove the pan and foil. Immediately use a small offset spatula to evenly spread the lemon glaze on the bars. It will set as the bars cool.
8. Use a ruler and a sharp knife to mark, then cut, 2-inch squares.
9. Store the squares in a tightly-covered tin or plastic container between sheets of wax paper.
