Gingerroot

Day 14 of Spicemas

Here we are, more than halfway through the Advent calendar of spices! It’s been an adventure. Today I decided that as we have our weekly supper with friends, I’d indulge in something sweet and decadent. Besides which, I do love chocolate-covered candied ginger. Which is not what I’m making, but it inspired this recipe. I’m making something which will help to use up the remnants of another experiment, the wonderful hazelnuts we aren’t eating up fast enough, and because I can, a little of my homemade lemon extract.

I was thinking, as I smoothed the batter into the pan, that this recipe is a bit like a red-headed goth. All fire under that dark exterior. I may have a bit of a story idea percolating around in the Groundskeeper world.

With no further ado, I give you…

Dark Ginger Brownies

Preheat the oven to 325F and prepare a 9x13” pan with parchment paper or by greasing it.

• 1 c butter at room temperature

• 1 c sugar

• 1 c brown sugar

• 4 eggs

Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the eggs in and beat until fluffy. Add in:

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 tsp lemon extract

• 1 tbsp ginger powder

• 1 c chopped nuts (I was using hazelnuts today)

• 1 1/3 c black cocoa powder*

• 2/3 c flour

  

Mix until well combined. Pour the batter into your greased or parchment paper-lined pan, and smooth it out to reach the edges and corners evenly.

Bake at 325F for 35-40 minutes, until center is not sticky to touch, but not baked firm.

The result is fudgy, decadent, surprisingly fruity… the ginger and the cocoa play so well off one another and the lemon supports the ginger nicely. These are dangerous!

Oh, and very goth indeed, as they are black as tar.

* black cocoa powder is not strictly necessary. I had gotten it out of curiosity and because it said it was Dutch-processed so I thought I’d try it in my coffee. It is more bitter than my other Dutch-processed cocoa, and was also gritty in the coffee. I shoved it into the baking cabinet with thoughts of revisiting my Dark Side Cookies (which I will likely do this spring) but there’s a lot of it so I decided I’d give it a whirl in this recipe. You can use any baking cocoa powder you like.

Also, if you want a cake to be black without excessive food coloring, this is the stuff!