Gingered Almonds Recipes

Steps:

• 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:
• 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.
• 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:
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
• Variation:
• Chestnut Honey Squares: For the base, replace 1 cup (90g) almond meal with 3/4 cup (120 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour and use a strong honey, such as chestnut, in place of the mild honey. For the topping, replace the candied ginger with organic candied orange or lemon peel, cut into tiny cubes.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove almonds to a shallow bowl to cool. Turn off oven.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, ginger, lemon zest, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add butter, molasses, and lemon and vanilla extracts, and beat until combined. With a wooden spoon, stir in almonds and crystallized ginger.
• Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 7-by-3-inch rectangle about 1 1/4 inches thick. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until very firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (nonstick French baking mats) or parchment paper.
• Using a sharp knife, cut rectangles crosswise into very thin slices, thinner than 1/8 inch, if possible. Arrange on prepared baking sheets 1/2 inch apart. Bake until just beginning to darken around edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer crisps to wire racks to cool.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl combine salt, ginger, coriander and pepper. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy. Whisk in honey, then spices. Using a rubber spatula, fold in bay leaves and almonds.
• Spread almond mixture in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake, stirring nuts and rotating baking sheets once or twice, until almonds are dry and crisp. Serve immediately or spread out on baking racks covered with parchment to cool. Keep in an airtight container for up to a week.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Melt butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat. Add remaining ingredients except almonds and cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, then add almonds and stir until coated.
• Spread almonds in a lightly oiled shallow baking pan (1 inch deep)and bake, stirring occasionally, until insides of nuts are golden (cut 1 open to test), about 25 minutes. Cool completely.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. In 15x10x1-inch pan, spread almonds. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix remaining ingredients except egg whites and butter; set aside. In large bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Continue beating, gradually adding sugar mixture. Fold in almonds.
• Place butter in same pan. Place in oven 3 to 5 minutes or until butter is melted. Spread almond mixture over butter. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until almonds are brown and no butter remains. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Store in airtight container.

Steps:

• Brush bottom and sides of a 10-by-15-inch baking pan with softened butter. Line pan with parchment, with a 2-inch overhang on each long side, then brush parchment with more butter. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place flour, ginger, salt, baking powder, and 1/2 cup sugar in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until dough just comes together. Scatter evenly in pan, then press firmly to flatten. Brush dough with egg white to moisten, then scatter with almonds, sesame seeds, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in alternating even layers.
• Bake until golden, about 35 minutes. Transfer bark on parchment to a cutting board. Immediately cut into 24 pieces (4 strips on short side, 6 on long side), then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Bark can be made 3 days ahead and stored at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter loaf pan and line bottom with wax paper.
• In a shallow baking pan toast almonds in middle of oven until a shade darker, about 10 minutes. Cool nuts and very coarsely chop. Finely chop crystallized ginger. Into a bowl sift together flour, sugar, ground ginger, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together whole egg, egg white, and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture and beat until combined well. Stir in almonds and crystallized ginger.
• Press dough into loaf pan and bake in middle of oven until pale golden, about 45 minutes. Turn loaf out onto a rack and cool 10 minutes. On a cutting board with a serrated knife cut loaf crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Arrange biscotti on a baking sheet and bake in middle of oven until crisp, about 15 minutes. Cool biscotti on rack. Biscotti keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature 2 weeks.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small heavy saucepan, heat cream and ginger until bubbles form around sides of pan. Remove from heat., Place flour, almonds, confectioners' sugar and cocoa in a food processor; pulse until blended. Add cold butter; pulse until butter is the size of peas. While pulsing, add 1/4 cup amaretto to form moist crumbs. Press onto bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Bake 13-16 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack., Place chocolate in a small bowl. Bring gingered cream just to a boil. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer over chocolate; discard ginger. Stir chocolate mixture with a whisk until smooth; stir in softened butter and remaining amaretto until blended. Pour into cooled crust. Refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours or until set.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream shortening, 1/2 cup sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extract. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in ginger., Shape into 1-in. balls. Roll in remaining sugar. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Press an almond slice into center of each cookie., Bake until edges are lightly browned, 9-11 minutes. Cool 2 minutes before removing to wire racks. Store in an airtight container.