Gingered Lemon Almond Squares 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.

LEMON-SCENTED GINGER ALMOND CRISPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove almonds to a shallow bowl to cool. Turn off oven.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, ginger, lemon zest, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add butter, molasses, and lemon and vanilla extracts, and beat until combined. With a wooden spoon, stir in almonds and crystallized ginger.
• Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 7-by-3-inch rectangle about 1 1/4 inches thick. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until very firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (nonstick French baking mats) or parchment paper.
• Using a sharp knife, cut rectangles crosswise into very thin slices, thinner than 1/8 inch, if possible. Arrange on prepared baking sheets 1/2 inch apart. Bake until just beginning to darken around edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer crisps to wire racks to cool.

GINGERED LEMON ALMOND SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a food processor grind fine the almonds with 1/4 cup of the confectioners' sugar and 1 cup of the flour, add the butter, and blend the mixture until it just resembles meal. Pat the mixture into an 8-inch-square baking pan and bake the crust in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is pale golden. Let the crust cool completely in the pan on a rack.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the eggs until they are thick and pale, beat in the granulated sugar and the lemon juice, and beat the mixture for 8 minutes. Sift in the remaining 2 tablespoons flour, the baking powder, the ginger, and a pinch of salt, stir the filling until it is combined well, and pour it over the crust. Bake the confection in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the filling is set and pale golden. Transfer the dessert in the pan to the rack, sift the additional confectioners' sugar over the top, and let the dessert cool completely. Cut the dessert into 2-inch squares.

GINGER SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350.
• Butter a 9-inch square pan.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.
• Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar.
• When cool, beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
• In a mixing bowl combine the flour, chopped ginger, baking powder, ground ginger and salt.
• Add the butter-sugar mixture.
• Stir well.
• Scape batter into pan.
• Bake the squares for 20-25 minutes.
• The edges should be slightly bubbled and glazed-looking, and there will be a tissue-thin layer on top of the (baked) batter.
• Glaze: While the squares are baking, stir together the lemon juice and confectioner's sugar.
• As soon as the ginger squares come out of the oven, spread the glaze over them.
• Cut into squares when cool.

LEMON ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• Make the bottom layer: in a bowl cream together the butter, sugar, and salt until fluffy; stir in flour until well mixed.
• Press mixture into an ungreased 13x9 baking pan.
• Bake at 325°F for about 35 minutes or until golden.
• Make the topping: in a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour, lemon rind, and juice until smooth; pour over the baked bottom layer.
• Sprinkle with the sliced almonds and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until set.
• Let cool on rack, then cut into bars.

ALMOND-COCONUT LEMON BARS

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the flour, confectioners' sugar, almonds and lemon zest; cover and process until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter; pulse just until mixture is crumbly. Press into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, coconut, lemon juice, flour, lemon zest and baking powder; pour over the hot crust. Bake until light golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares.

LEMON-ALMOND SQUARES

Steps:

• For crust: Preheat oven to 350F.
• Mix flour, sugar and salt and cut in butter until mixture holds together when pressed; pat into bottom of 9 inch square baking dish; bake until light brown, about 15 minutes.
• For filling: Beat eggs and ½ cup sugar until thick and pale; add almond paste and beat until smooth.
• Mix in lemon juice and peel and all purpose flour.
• Pour filling into crust and bake until firm but not brown, 17-20 minutes.
• Cool in pan.
• Dust with powdered sugar.
• To serve: Cut in squares using knife dipped in hot water.