Chewy Ginger Cookie Bars
Y’all, do me a quick favor. Look to the right of your screen and locate the search bar.
Type in the word ‘ginger’. Hit the search button.
What do you see?
My guess would be that quite a few posts are going to pop up.
The reason for this is very simple: I love ginger. I have a very strong appreciation of it. I look for ways to throw it into dishes that may not have originally called for it. Whether you’re using it for a sweet or savory dish, both ground and fresh ginger are fantastic stuff to have around.
I’ve mentioned before that I make my own ginger syrup to help with my stomach issues. The only thing about making ginger syrup is that after you’ve made the syrup, you’re left with quite a bit of candied/crystallized ginger that’s been simmered in the sugar syrup.
Not that I’m complaining. Apart from being delicious to snack on it by itself, candied ginger is one of my favorite things to bake with. Today’s recipe features a double whammy of both ground and candied ginger.
Sometimes I want cookies, but also just don’t feel like making the dough, letting it rest & chill in the fridge, then rolling or scooping it out into individual portions. What I love about cookie bars is that they take the extra labor out of making actual cookies. There’s no chilling time required. You don’t have to portion the dough out individually. After the dough is made, it all gets pressed into one pan and baked off together. You can seriously make this in less than 10 minutes, and have it baked & finished in less than 1 hour. It couldn’t be easier.
This recipe started out from a basic sugar cookie bar that I altered. I swapped out some of the white sugar for brown sugar, then added molasses, ground ginger and candied ginger. Apart from the warm, spicy flavors of these bars, I think that the texture is my favorite part.
They have a well balanced density, but it’s not so much that it’ll get stuck in your teeth. It’s like that perfect sweet spot that you get in the center of a drop cookie–except, here it’s in the whole thing. I ate mine still warm with whipped cream and caramel. To say that I enjoyed it would be an understatement.
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Chewy Ginger Cookie Bars
Recipe Courtesy of Food Network Magazine
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup crystallized ginger, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides; coat the foil with cooking spray.
In a medium size bowl combine the flour, ground ginger and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the sugars and molasses into the melted butter. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring briskly. Add the vanilla.
Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring just until combined. Fold in the minced crystallized ginger. Spread the dough into the baking dish with an oiled spatula.
Bake until the edges are set but the center is soft, about 25-30 minutes. Allow to sit in pan for about 10 minutes, then use the foil to lift out of the baking dish and transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into square bars.
Sharing at the Fiesta Friday #248, co-hosted this week by Judi @ cookingwithauntjuju.com and Alex @ Turks Who Eat.
I love ginger too Jess in savory and sweet recipes. Ginger syrup – I will have to look into that. I agree about making cookies all the time and looking for something delicious but easier to make. Looks like another winner – thanks for sharing with Fiesta Friday.
I’m planning on posting the recipe for the ginger syrup here very soon, since I’ve gotten requests for it before. Thank you!
I also love ginger and it’s such a wonderful flavor this time of year 🙂 I’d like a plate of these cookie bars right now! Thanks for sharing at FF
You’re welcome, thank you for stopping by 😉
Love Ginger and chewy stuff. These look so yummy.
So do I! They turned out really well, and they couldn’t be easier to make. Thank you 🙂
My whole family has the ginger gene, sweet, savory, in between, it is all wonderful. These look really yummy, as do your other ginger recipes, especially the crackers!
Thanks Dorothy, I keep coming back to it just because it’s such a great ingredient. Try the crackers, they’re just as easy and tasty as these 😉
I have saved the recipe and plan to make them this holiday season! Thank you so much!
Oh, how did I miss this! I love Gingerbread in any and all forms! Gingerbread is my jam, lol! This is going to be perfect all through the Thanksgiving to New Year’s season!
Thanks Mollie, they’re kinda like a really chewy ginger blondie–SO good 😉