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–+ servings

Ginger Crunch

A little sleuthing revealed that the recipe I was given was perhaps from, or inspired by, the Ginger Crunch recipe from a cookbook produced Edmonds, a New Zealand company which produces baking powder. The Edmonds Cookery Book was first published in 1908. I used a 13- by 4-inch (34cm x 10cm) rectangular tart pan but one could use another pan of similar dimensions. Such as an 8-inch (20cm) square cake pan or a 20 x 30 centimeter rectangular pan, which the original recipe called for. If using a cake pan, one neat trick is to line the bottom with a wide piece of foil leaving an overhang over the sides of the pan, then smoothing the sides and buttering the inside. Once the bars are finished, you should be able to lift the foil (and the bars) from the pan easily. The dough may take a bit of coaxing to bring it together. If necessary, dampen your hands and knead the dough until it comes together. (It doesn’t need to be perfect.) Transfer the dough to the pan and use the heel of your hand to press it evenly into the bottom. Even if you think it looks goofy when patting it down, it will bake up nice and flaky.
Servings 18 bar cookies

Cookie base

  • 4 1/2 ounces (9 tablespoons, 125g) unsalted butter, room temperature (it should be very soft)
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup (210g) flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground dried ginger

Icing

  • 2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons, 75g) butter, salted or unsalted
  • 2 tablespoons golden syrup, (see Note)
  • 3/4 cup (90g) powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground dried ginger
  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC.) Butter a 13-inch rectangular tart pan or another pan (see headnote.)
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, or by hand in a large bowl, make the cookie base by creaming the butter with the sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger.
  • Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture until well-combined. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead it until the dough is relatively smooth. (If necessary, dampen your hands to add a bit of moisture to the dough, if it’s dry.)
  • Press the dough into the prepared pan and flatted the surface, then bake the dough for 20 minutes, until it’s light golden brown.
  • Five minutes before the dough is done, making the icing by heating the 2 1/2 ounces of butter and golden syrup in a small pan, then mix in the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon ginger, stirring until smooth.
  • When you take the pan out of the oven, pour the warm icing over the cookie base. Let sit for about 20 to 30 minutes, then remove from the pan and slice while still slightly warm.

Notes

Note: The only substitutions I could imagine that might work for this recipe might be honey, since it has the same viscosity to golden syrup. Rice syrup is another possibility. If you do try it with another liquid sweetener, please share your results in the comments.