New bars

I am not much of a baker.  I have about three kinds of bars that I can make with regular success.  But as part of the whole "try new recipes" plan for 2007, I am including desserts.  Baking is just too much science.  You can't eyeball baking powder, or think "that's about enough" buttermilk.  I like cooking because there is much room for error, changes and innovation.  And I like cookbooks in which the author starts each recipe with a little story like "I first ate this pasta while on vacation in the south of France" or "people stop me on the street and rave about these muffins" ala Patricia Wells or Ina Garten.  The dad likes cookbooks that start out "First, we focused on how to cook the asparagus.  We ruled out boiling or steaming because the residual water diluted the flavor" ala Christopher Kimball.

This is the first new recipe of February.

Cranberry Ginger Bars

      For Cake Base:

• 2 sticks butter -- softened
• 1 and 1/4 cups brown sugar-- packed
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup minced dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup Lindt or Perugina or other quality white chocolate -- coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup minced candied ginger
• For Frosting:
• 4 ounce cream cheese -- softened
• 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons butter -- softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• For Garnish:
• 2 Tablespoons minced dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips (e.g. Ghiradelli or Guittard) -- melted

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9x13 pan.

Beat butter and sugar together for the cake base, and add eggs/vanilla beating until fluffy. Sift together flour, ginger, and salt and then add to the butter/sugar mixture beating well. Fold in the cranberries, chocolate and ginger. Spread thick batter in pan and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden.

When cake is cooled, mix all frosting ingredients together and spread a thin layer over the cake. Immediately sprinkle with the minced cranberries. Then use a cake decorating bag of melted white chocolate with a tiny decorating tip (like the size used for writing on cakes) and drizzle the chocolate over the cake.

Cut this into bars immediately because the white chocolate hardens pretty fast and makes cake cutting messy.

And even though I know you are supposed to change baking recipes, I rough chopped the white chocolate for the topping rather than melting and doubled the frosting recipe because honestly, you can never have enough cream cheese frosting.

Comments

[suzanne b.]

These look fantastic, Lisa SP. I will try them. Thank you.