In November, the weather finally starts to behave like winter is coming. It’s 54 degrees today and there is a little chill in the air. (Okay, so yesterday it was in the high 60’s: maybe that’s why today seems so chilly!) One way to warm up is with spice. Specifically, ginger root: fresh, dried, ground, candied, we use it every way there is.
Three of Carole’s favorite (and the guests’) recipes all contain ginger, and are perfect for this season. They make a nice alternative to the pumpkin and apple and cranberry that is so abundant at this time of year. Not that we don’t love them, too. OK, so we love everything!!
Orange Maple Ginger muffins are are always a hit at breakfast. The overall flavor is subtle and folks always ask what’s in them. They are moist and delicious, especially right out of the oven. They call for dried, ground ginger.
The Lemon Ginger muffins, however, call for fresh ginger root and lots of fresh lemon zest and juice. They are intense and bursting with flavor.
Then there is the all time, Best Ever Ginger Cookie: it can’t really be called a ginger “snap” because it’s chewy rather than crispy. When these are baking, the aroma is incredible. These call for crystallized ginger and if you make them once, they will forever be a part of your cookie repertoire.
So here are 3 more recipes for you to try. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
BRAMPTON’S LEMON GINGER MUFFINS
Yields 12 regular or 8 giant muffins
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated
2 lemons zest only
1 stick unsalted butter at room temp.
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
2 cups unbleached flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
Mix fresh squeezed lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Set aside. Spray muffin tins with non-stick baking spray. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar. Add grated ginger and lemon zest. Add one egg at a time incorporating the eggs well into the butter/sugar mixture. Add 1 cup of flour mixture alternating with ½ the buttermilk mixture. Repeat until all is incorporated. Do not over mix. Distribute batter into muffin tins. Bake for 18 to 20 min. until golden on top. Remove from oven and brush with reserved lemon juice/sugar mixture.Let stand for 10 minutes before removing muffins from tins. Serve and enjoy!
BRAMPTON’S ORANGE, MAPLE, GINGER MUFFINS
Yields 12 muffins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup cold butter
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup buttermilk
1/3 cup real maple syrup
1 large egg
1 tablespoon maple flavoring
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
For the glaze:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon grated orange peel
2 to 3 teaspoons water
Grease 12 muffin pans. Combine flour, brown sugar and ginger in medium bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup crumb mixture for topping. Add baking powder, baking soda and salt to remaining crumb mixture in bowl. Combine buttermilk, maple syrup, egg, maple flavoring and 1 tablespoon grated orange peel in small bowl. Add buttermilk mixture to crumb mixture in bowl; mix just until combined. Spread batter into prepared pans; sprinkle with reserved topping mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool completely. Combine powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon orange peel and enough water for desired spreading consistency in small bowl. Drizzle over cooled muffins.
THE BEST EVER GINGER COOKIES (from Ina Garten)
We love Ina Garten’s cookbooks. Not only are they very pretty to look at but her recipes are wonderful. If you don’t already have them and you are as avid a cookbook collector as we are they are a must have for your cookbook library.
Yields about 16 cookies.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with Silpat liner or parchment paper.
2 ¼ cups flour1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon1
½ teaspoons ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup molasses
1 extra large egg
1 ¼ cups chopped crystallized ginger
Extra sugar for rolling the cookies
In a large bowl, sift together first 7 ingredients. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the brown sugar, oil and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Switch speed to low and add the egg. Beat for one minute, then stop and scrape down sides of bowl. Beat for another minute. Slowly add the dry ingredients with mixer on low and mix for 2 minutes. Add the crystallized ginger and stir until combined.Using a 1 inch ice cream scooper, portion out balls of dough. Roll each one between your hands to round off the edges and then flatten slightly. Press each side into the extra sugar and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 13 minutes. The cookies will be slightly “crackled” and soft. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before carefully transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.As with most cookie doughs, this recipe can be doubled or tripled and the unbaked, sugared cookies frozen until needed. There is nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked ginger cookies!!