Fresh and candied ginger team up to make an uplifting, zesty treat that can be prepared in any season. This quick yet impressive dessert lends itself to endless reincarnations, using various dried fruits and citrus zests, or even cocoa for chocolate lovers—see the recipes that follow for ideas!
Ingredients
Makes 16 bars
Base:
Topping:
Special Equipment
Step 1
Center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line the pan with baking parchment, letting the parchment hang over the sides. (This will make it easier to remove the dessert once baked.)
Prepare the base:
Step 2
In the saucepan, melt the butter. Add the almond meal, fresh ginger, honey, egg, salt, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. The mixture should be thick and sticky.
Step 3
Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan. To help make a level and even base, place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the base. Using a flat-bottomed glass (or your fingers), smooth out the base by pressing gently to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. Remove and discard the plastic wrap. Bake until the base is slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the topping:
Step 4
In the same saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the almonds, candied ginger, honey, salt, and vanilla. Stir just until the ingredients are incorporated.
Step 5
When the base is baked, spread the topping evenly over the base and bake until the topping is dark and sizzling, 12 to 15 minutes. Do not underbake.
Step 6
Transfer the pan to the baking rack to cool. When the dessert is completely cool, remove it from the pan using the overhanging parchment as handles and cut it into 16 even squares.
Do Ahead
Step 7
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Variation:
Step 8
Chestnut Honey Squares:
For the base, replace 1 cup (90g) almond meal with3/4 cup (120 g) unbleached, all-purpose flourand use astrong honey, such as chestnut, in place of the mild honey. For the topping, replace the candied ginger with organiccandied orange or lemon peel, cut into tiny cubes.
Leave a Review
Reviews (5)
Back to TopI agree with MOMOFACHIEF These are just OK Unclear instructions on what the bubbling, be sure not to undercook meant. Mine were bubbling, but when removed, I could see that one side was too brown and the other side maybe just ok> All looks darker than the photo. And inspite of excellent ingredients, it wasn't spectacluar as I expected it to be with the candied ginger. Be sure and read the person's note who used the Chinese 5 spice as I suspect that amping up the recipe is what this needs. Also after it'd cooled, I tried to cut it as described. It fell apart into pieces. So then I refrigerated it. After a few hours it was easier everywhere to cut but on the periphery
Smilemaker
Wichita KS
12/18/2021
Just okay. Great ingredients but under whelming results.
momofachief
Boston, Massachusetts
5/10/2018
Meh, not bad but I won't make it again, especially considering the expense involved with these ingredients. In particular, it was too honey-sweet and the ginger not pronounced enough for my taste.
punkerdunkermarie
St. Paul, MN
11/13/2017
Added orange zest to the shortbread base and a bit of cinnamon, cardamom, and Chinese five spice. They turned out great!
haneye
Seattle, WA
6/4/2017
I made this recently and all the gluten free & other guests gave it a thumbs up! It's delicious, buttery, with a hint of ginger - it's not an over-powering flavour. This is a keeper!
brendalinse
Melbourne, Australia
5/7/2017
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