Ginger blondies

Ginger blondies with a touch of warmth and surprise nuggets of crystallized ginger.

From the moment I first lined up my large collection of Spice Islands? glass jars, I was titillated by the vibrant colors and textures of the various contents within. One particular jar entranced me with its possibilities ? the Spice Islands? Crystallized Ginger. I left it out against my kitchen back splash with a few others that I knew would make it into my early culinary explorations.

Skip to next paragraph Caroline Lubbers

Caroline Lubbers is a mother, wife, business owner and food blogger. Through her consulting company, Goldfish Marketing Communications, she has the pleasure of working with a number of chefs and specialty food companies. In 2007, Caroline launched her blog Whipped to learn more about blogging, to explore new recipes and as an excuse to buy a fancy camera.

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Each day, the bottle of ginger caught my eye. With their slightly dusty finish and unique, rough shapes, the golden nuggets resemble a pile of treasure from a lucky prospector?s pay dirt. My first taste of the little gems revealed a soft texture, just enough sweetness and the aromatic flavor from the Australian ginger root.

One evening while cooking dinner, my attention was inexplicably called to the jar of ginger pieces and I knew that they must find their way into a blondie cookie bar. I pulled the necessary ingredients out of the pantry, (my favorite thing about blondies is that you almost always have ingredients on hand), and made my first batch of Ginger Blondies.

I added a sprinkling of Spice Islands? Ground Ginger to the batter so that my precious, crystallized nuggets would feel more at home in their new surroundings. The finished bars delivered the buttery heaven of a Blondie, a touch of warmth from the Spice Islands? Ground Ginger and an occasional surprise when you discover a piece of Spice Islands? Crystallized Ginger hidden within.

Try these alongside a cup of tea or after a big meal to help quench a sweet tooth and soothe your stomach. Even if you aren?t normally a ginger lover, just one bite, you may catch the fever.

Ginger Blondies

Makes 16 2-inch squares

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons Spice Islands? Ground Ginger
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Spice Islands? Pure Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup Spice Islands? Crystallized Ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, making sure the foil is tucked into all corners and that there is at least 1 inch overhang around the top of the pan on all sides. Grease the foil.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, ground ginger and salt. Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients thoroughly.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove it from the heat and with a wooden spoon, stir in the brown sugar. In a small bowl, use a fork or whisk to lightly beat the egg. Add the vanilla to the egg. Stir the egg and vanilla mixture into the butter and brown sugar mixture. Stir the dry ingredients and mix just until combined, mixing as little as possible. Stir in the crystallized ginger pieces.

Pour into the baking pan. Bake blondies for 30-35 minutes until they are just set in the center. Let the pan cool completely. Using the foil, pull the blondies out of the pan. Pull the foil back from the sides and cut into 16 squares.

Related post: Giant Ginger Snap Cookies

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