Lemon Ginger Bars

This is a lovely ginger bar with a touch of lemon. I made this a couple of months ago, just never got round to post about it. The taste of the ginger is not overpowering, you could definitely taste the ginger, but it is not overly strong. Because it has crystallized and ground ginger, instead of fresh ginger, you would not feel the heat from the ginger, and the ginger goes well with the honey and lemon.

The simple glaze of icing sugar and lemon is nice, the glaze will harden, making it easier to stack the bars as they will not stick to each other.

I love using crystallized ginger in bakes and could not resist popping some in the mouth when I chopped them to pieces!

A lovely bar, with a touch of lemon, both in the bar and the frosting. The frosting will harden when it cools, but it is very nice, and this ginger bar is a good keeper. I kept the sliced bars for almost a week in an air-tight container, leaving it on the table at room temperature (no need to refrigerate), and I nibbled on them, mostly on my own, well not all of it! My kids are not overly fond of ginger, so I packed most of it for my hubby to take for this office colleagues.

This makes quite a big tray, so it will be great to share. Otherwise, halve the recipe. I love the bits of ginger in the bar. The best way to eat this is to cut in small pieces to nibble and enjoy!

Lovely with some warm Chinese Tea.

I'm sharing this with :
Recipe Box hosted by Bizzy Bakes
Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Frugal Food Thursday hosted by Frugal Follies
Food on Fridays : Lemon and Limes hosted by Carole's Chatter


Lemon Ginger Bars
(adapted from "bake!" by Nick Malgieri)
Makes 24 bars
325gm plain flour
170gm sugar (I use 130gm)
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
225gm unsalted butter
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons finely chopped crystallised ginger
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Lemon Glaze
225gm icing sugar, sifted after measuring
3 tablespoons lemon juice, strained before measuring

One 23x33x5cm tin lined with buttered foil

1. Set a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 190C/gas mark 5.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, ground ginger and baking powder in a medium bowl.
3. Melt the butter over a medium heat and immediately add to the dry ingredients; use a large rubber spatula to stir to a smooth, shiny dough. Add the egg, crystallised ginger, honey and lemon zest and beat vigorously to make a smooth dough.
4. Scrape the dough into the prepared tin and use the palm of your hand to press it evenly over the bottom of the tin. Don't be concerned if the dough looks greasy, as though some of the butter has separated out.
5. Bake the bars until well risen, firm and lightly golden, 20-25 minutes.
6. While the bars are baking, use a small rubber spatula to beat the icing sugar and lemon juice together. If it's too thick to spread, thin by adding 1/2 teaspoon water at a time until it's right.
7. As soon as the bars are baked, place a chopping board on the tin and use oven mitts to invert the hot bars to the board. Remove the tin and foil. Immediately use a small palette knife to spread the lemon glaze on the bars so that it sets as the bars cool.
8. Use a ruler to mark, then cut into 5mm squares.

Serving : Arrange the bars on a serving plate; the icing is dry, so they can be stacked.

Storage : Keep the bars in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid between sheets of baking paper.