Lemon Ginger Muffins

Lately I've been craving my Tuscan Lemon Muffins, but I forgot to get ricotta cheese at the store, so the craving has been put on hold...like you can do that.  I've also been missing baking.  Which is ironic because it feels like I'm always in the kitchen, and I'm monumentally behind on this blog - like months behind on posting the things I've made.  But it's been a long time, probably almost two months, since I just baked to bake.  No Dessert Club, no birthday, no event, no dinner swap.  Just for the pleasure of the process and product. 

This morning, rummaging through the cupboards, I came across a bag of (admittedly, I don't know how old) candied ginger, and still on the vein of lemon muffins, I foodgawkered Lemon Ginger Muffins.  Breakfast is done.

Foodgawker is a two-headed beast.  The pictures, and associated recipes, are inspiring and saliva-inducing.  Then I click through to the blogs, and get depressed.  They have advertising.  How do they take such amazing pictures?  How do they have time to make that food?  The blog is so...sophisticated.  Et cetera.  Blog inferiority complex.  Can't really be helped, unless I don't look at them.  But once in awhile, I just can't help it.  What has foodgawker got for me today?

Today, it was just the thing.

Lemon Ginger Muffins (print recipe)
Makes 18 muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped
1 T lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 T lemon juice for glaze
1 cup powdered sugar for glaze

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  Line muffin cups with paper liners.

2.  In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and salt; set aside.

3.  In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the crystallized ginger, lemon zest and lemon juice, then mix that in.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat until each is just incorporated.  Alternate the addition of the milk and dry ingredients  by thirds, making sure not to overmix each addition.

4.  Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin and fill each nearly to the brim of the liner.  Bake them for 15 to 18 minutes until the tops are a nice golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Transfer them to a cooling rack.

5.  While the muffins cool, mix together the reserved lemon juice and powdered sugar until there are no lumps.  Drizzle glaze over muffins.

Recipe from HotPolkaDot.com

Gingerbread with Lemon-Butter Sauce

 For many years in my youth, our traditional Christmas Eve dessert, served on our Christmas dessert plates with a cat curled up by a fireplace, was my Grandma Younce's bread pudding with lemon sauce.  But the bread pudding was made from very torn up soft bread, and tasted more like a ginger spoon bread, and with warm lemon sauce and fresh whipped cream, was like heaven in my mouth.  It was a lovely tradition.

Then my sister Tona, who usually made it, went off to college and got married and that was that.

I've never tried to make my Grandma's recipe; I should dig it up and give it a whirl.  But in the meantime, this delicious cake reminded me so much of it, I felt 13 again. 

 I shared it with a friend, and she was confused because in her mind gingerbread is hard, like The Gingerbread Man and gingerbread houses.  I was appalled because you can't really eat that stuff; it's never good.  How could someone not know about soft, edible, cakey gingerbread?  Oh, she was happy to be educated. 

Gingerbread with Lemon-Butter Sauce (print recipe)
Gingerbread
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup water
1 egg
1/4 cup finely snipped crystallized ginger

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and lightly flour a 2-quart square baking dish (8 x 8 inches.)  Set aside

2.  In a large bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and allspice.  Add shortening, molasses, the water and egg.  Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until combined.  Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.  Stir in crystallized ginger.  Pour batter into the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly.

3.  Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

4.  Serve warm with Lemon-Butter Sauce.  If desired, garnish with Candied Lemon Slices.  Makes 9 servings.

Lemon-Butter Sauce
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 T cornstarch
3/4 cup half-and-half or light cream
2 T butter
1/4 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
3 T lemon juice
2 T finely snipped crystallized ginger

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch.  Stir in half-and-half and butter.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is bubbly.  Reduce heat; cook and stir for 1 minute more.  Remove from heat.  Stir in lemon peel, lemon juice and ginger.  Serve warm.

Candied Lemon Slices
Cut 2 small lemons into thin slices; discard seeds.  In a large skillet, bring 1 cup light-color corn syrup to boiling over medium heat.  Stir in lemon slices.  Return to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, just until lemons are tender, turning occasionally.  Cool.

Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Baking magazine, December 2010

Lemon Ginger Bars

Gorgeous, right? I'm kinda proud of them. Almost obsessed, really, with their perfect crumb and fantastically zingy citrus-spice...zing. I was putting a plate together for some friends, so I was glad to see they would travel well. But in the end I put not-as-many-as-I-could on that plate, and kept the rest for myself. They're a lot like lemon ginger tea, which I love, but way sweeter and much more substantial. Obviously.

I think these may become one of my signature dishes (even though I didn't invent them.) Wow, they are really that good.


Lemon Ginger Bars (print recipe)
Bars:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 T ground ginger
2 tsp baking powder
16 T (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 T honey
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (about 2 tsp)

Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted after measuring
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon (3 T; strained before measuring)
Water, optional

1. For the bars, preheat oven to 375. Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil.

2. Combine the flour, sugar, ground ginger, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

3. Melt the 16 T butter in the microwave; use a little of the butter to grease the foil-lined baking dish. Immediately add the remaining melted butter to the dry ingredients, using a flexible spatula to blend. Add the egg, crystallized ginger, honey and lemon zest; beat vigorously to make a smooth dough. Scrape it into the baking dish. Use the palm of your hands to press it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Don't be concerned if the dough looks greasy, or as though some of the butter has separated out.

4. Bake the bars until firm and lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. They will rise slightly.

5. Meanwhile, make the glaze: use a small flexible spatula to mix the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl to form a smooth glaze. If the mixture is too thick, add up to 1/2 tsp water or lemon juice.

6. As soon as the dough has baked, place a cutting board over the baking dish and use oven mitts to invert the hot slab onto the board. Remove the pan and foil and replace with a separate cutting board. Turn right side up and remove the top board. Immediately brush on the lemon glaze so that it sets as the slab cools. When it is completely cool, cut into 2-inch squares or triangles.

Recipe from Bake! Essential Techniques for Perfect Baking by Nick Malgieri

Gingery Maple Thins (by Tona)

Guest Baker Tona is my other sister. She's a super busy scholar, full-time professor, mom of four, agriculturalist and community do-gooder, so she doesn't always have time for hard-core baking. But she had a snow day last week and made these little delights for you and me. Thank you! Tona lives in Stow, Massachussetts.
I'm not usually a fan of crystallized ginger, but I really liked these cookies. I used Australian ginger, maybe that makes a difference? It seemed really soft and not as rubbery as I've used in the past. It took about 5 "wafers" of ginger to get 3 tablespoons of finely chopped. I also substituted Mapleine for the maple extract since that's what I had on hand.

I think I made my dough balls too big - more like a walnut sized is probably best, since I didn't get 2 dozen out of this. Or you could just double the recipe.

I would say these are a rather subtle cookie, perhaps even a slightly elegant one - they're not too sweet, which is nice. They were really delicious right out of the oven.

Gingery Maple Thins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger

8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp maple extract

3 T minced crystallized ginger

1/4 cup granulated sugar1. Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment or silpat. Combine flour, baking soda, and ground ginger in a bowl. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, maple syrup, and maple extract and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and crystallized ginger, and mix until just combined.

2. Place 1/4 cup granulated sugar in bowl. Moisten hands with water and roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, then roll in sugar. Place sugared balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using flat-bottomed glass, press each ball to 1/2-inch thickness. Bake until golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. (Cookies can be stored in airtight container for 1 week.) Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Recipe from Cook's Country, December 2009

Macademia-Maple Sticky Bars (by Michelle)

Guest Baker Michelle was one of my roommates and best friends at college. Later she became my favorite sister-in-law so the fun just continues. She lives in Harrogate, England.
These were really great. Something totally different from the ordinary Christmas plate fare that will stand-out. I took them to work and all of my co-workers raved about them. One even said "these taste like something you would get at Betty's." Supremely high praise indeed. The crust is like a maple cookie and the top is made like candy, but you don't need a candy thermometer. I am not a fan of ginger, but the crystallized ginger in this really help add flavor to these bars and keep them from being too sweet. A big hit.

I made these without reading the instructions fully so I accidentally added all the brown sugar into the crust. I also didn't have maple sugar so I used golden caster sugar instead. Caster sugar is a more finely ground sugar than standard granulated. Even with these two changes, it turned out fantastic. I am sure it would be even better made 100% correctly. When I had made the topping and put it on, I was worried it wouldn't set, but it did. They looked and tasted great.Macademia-Maple Sticky Bars
1/2 cup plus 6 T (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for dish
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted macadamia nuts (about 4 ounces)
1/4 cup plus 3 T packed light-brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons maple sugar
2 T light corn syrup
3 T heavy cream

1. Butter an 8-inch square baking disch; line with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Butter lining (not overhand); set aside. Whisk flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup nuts in a bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachmnet; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in flour mixture and 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Press dough evenly onto bottom of prepared dish. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Bake until set in center and pale golden, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool slightly.

3. Put remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup nuts into a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until butter is very foamy and nuts are fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, the ginger, maple sugar, corn syrup, and cream. Boil, stirring constantlly, 2 minutes. Spread over crust. Let cool completely. Run a knife around non-partchment sides; lift out of dish by overhang. Cut into sixteen 2-inch squares. Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.Recipe from marthastewart.com