Ginger Almond Wafers Recipes

GINGER AND ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line the pan with baking parchment, letting the parchment hang over the sides. (This will make it easier to remove the dessert once baked.)
• Prepare the base:
• In the saucepan, melt the butter. Add the almond meal, fresh ginger, honey, egg, salt, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. The mixture should be thick and sticky.
• Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan. To help make a level and even base, place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the base. Using a flat-bottomed glass (or your fingers), smooth out the base by pressing gently to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. Remove and discard the plastic wrap. Bake until the base is slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the topping:
• In the same saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the almonds, candied ginger, honey, salt, and vanilla. Stir just until the ingredients are incorporated.
• When the base is baked, spread the topping evenly over the base and bake until the topping is dark and sizzling, 12 to 15 minutes. Do not underbake.
• Transfer the pan to the baking rack to cool. When the dessert is completely cool, remove it from the pan using the overhanging parchment as handles and cut it into 16 even squares.
• Do Ahead
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
• Variation:
• Chestnut Honey Squares: For the base, replace 1 cup (90g) almond meal with 3/4 cup (120 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour and use a strong honey, such as chestnut, in place of the mild honey. For the topping, replace the candied ginger with organic candied orange or lemon peel, cut into tiny cubes.

SPICED ALMOND WAFERS

Steps:

• Line 2 mini loaf pans with plastic wrap.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed for 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add eggs and spices. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions.
• Press cookie dough into pans, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze for 1 1/2 hours (or up to 1 month).
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dough from 1 pan. Let soften slightly. Cut eight 1/8-inch-thick slices with a sharp knife. Cover remaining dough, and freeze in pan until ready to slice and bake.
• Place slices 1 1/2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat. Top each with 2 to 3 almond slices. Freeze until firm, 5 minutes. Bake until dark golden brown, 10 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack. Repeat.

GINGER ALMOND WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine first 7 ingredients in processor and blend using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add almonds, cream and crystallized ginger and process just until moist clumps form. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch-diameter balls. Place on prepared sheets. Moisten bottom of glass; dip into powder sugar and press each dough ball to 1/4-inch thickness.
• Bake cookies until brown on bottom and edges, about 28 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack and cool. (Store airtight at room temperature.)

GINGER ALMOND WAFERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine first 7 ingredients in processor and blend using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add almonds, cream and crystallized ginger and process just until moist clumps form. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch diameter balls. Place on prepared sheets. Moisten bottom of glass: dip into powdered sugar and press each dough ball to 1/4 inch thickness.
• Bake cookies until brown on bottom and at edges, about 28 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack and cool.
• Store in airtight container at room temperature.

VANILLA WAFERS

Steps:

• Position 1 oven rack in the top third of the oven and another in the bottom third. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and vanilla sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl after 1 minute. Add the egg and incorporate on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl. Add the vanilla extract and milk and blend on low speed for 15 seconds. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just to incorporate. Chill the batter in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes before scooping.
• Scoop the batter in teaspoon-sized balls and arrange them on 2 parchment paper-lined half sheet pans, approximately 35 cookies per pan. Use the heel of your hand to slightly flatten each ball. Bake, 2 pans at a time, rotating the pans halfway through the baking, until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans to a cooling rack to cool completely before removing the cookies from the pan.

LEMON-GINGER WAFERS

Steps:

• Finely grate the ginger into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Press with the back of a spoon to squeeze out the juice (you'll need 1 tablespoon juice); set aside. Whisk the flour, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the vanilla and ginger juice. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated.
• Divide the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; form into two 1-by-9-inch logs. Wrap and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Unwrap the logs and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the edges are golden, about 13 minutes. Let cool5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Make the icing: Put the remaining 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in a bowl; stir in 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice, a little at a time, until the icing is spreadable. Spread on the cookies and top with crystallized ginger; let set 30 minutes.

GINGER ALMONDS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Combine the ginger and salt in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil and sesame oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the arbol chile and cook, stirring frequently, until the chile begins to give off an aroma, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently until lightly toasted, approximately 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and cook until reduced slightly and the pan looks dry, approximately 1 minute. Immediately remove the nuts to the large bowl and toss with the ginger mixture.
• Spread the coated nuts into a single layer on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pan to a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes or until completely cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND WAFERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in sliced almonds. , Shape dough into a 14-in. log; roll in ground almonds. Wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm., Unwrap and cut into 1/4-in. slices. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 9-11 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks.

SPICED ALMOND WAFERS

Steps:

• Line 2 mini loaf pans with plastic wrap.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed for 4 minutes.
• Reduce speed to low. Add eggs and spices. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions.
• Press cookie dough into pans, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze for 1 1/2 hours (or up to 1 month).
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dough from 1 pan. Let soften slightly. Cut eight 1/8-inch-thick slices with a sharp knife.
• Cover remaining dough, and freeze in pan until ready to slice and bake.
• Place slices 1 1/2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat.
• Top each with 2 to 3 almond slices. Freeze until firm, 5 minutes.
• Bake until dark golden brown, 10 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack. Repeat.