Sigh, so my first real post has to be about a misadventure? I regret to say, yes.
Today I embarked upon making some form of gingerbread. I scoured several recipes to find one with the best reviews– one that would be foolproof. Ultimately, I decided upon Gingerbread Bars I found on Epicurious. Here’s the recipe, as written:
* 2 cups all purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
* 7 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
* 2 large eggs
* 1/4 cup light (unsulfured) molassesPreheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 15x10x1-inch baking sheet. Place 2 cups flour in medium bowl; transfer 2 tablespoons flour to small bowl and reserve. Add spices, baking soda, and salt to flour in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and 6 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then molasses. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and beat to blend. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Sift reserved 2 tablespoons flour evenly over batter, then sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.
Bake gingerbread until golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 22 minutes; cool completely in pan on rack. Cut gingerbread crosswise into 4 strips, then cut each strip into 6 pieces, forming 24 bars, each about 31/2×13/4 inches. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead.Store airtight at room temperature.
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gingerbread-Bars-353838#ixzz18Vp0irP7
I did make some adjustments. Based upon reviews, I doubled the spices. And against my better judgment, I did not make the one adjustment that intuitively seemed necessary: eliminating the step of dusting flour over the top of the bars before baking. Alas, the flour did not completely sink down into the bars, so I was left with floury-tasting gingerbread bars.
I did attempt to rescue them. I brushed off as much flour as I could, then made a quick glaze, which helps. I added 1/2 cup of confectioner’s sugar, about a tablespoon of milk, a dash of vanilla, a few squirts of lime juice, and several grates on the microplane of fresh ginger. After the glaze sinks into the gingerbread bars a little, they do taste a lot better, and I am pleased with the moistness of the bars. Still not something I’m proud to serve, though.
Anyone have any truly fool-proof gingerbread recipes??
Yum! Therapy 