My week (and a bit) in summary:
- I signed on the dotted line for an epic new job and resigned from my first ever big kid job,
- I purchased toiletries and spare socks for my trip to Asia that I am departing on next week,
- The section I contribute to in Critic Te Arohi won best lifestyle section at the National Student Media Awards,
- I went on a date with a mega McHottie,
- I made some ginger crunch.
#winningatlife
That is all I have to say about that.
Except that all important final point . . .
I acquired a whole pile of crystallised and ground ginger from varying sources in recent weeks. Logic told me that making ginger crunch would be a good idea; it was.
So this ginger crunch (with extra ginger and extra crunch) was adapted from the Bluebells Cakery Cookbook which inspired me to shower my slice in chopped crystallised ginger and almonds.
There is quite a bit of white sugar in the base which makes it extra crunchy. I would almost suggest swapping out a 1/4 of a cup with brown sugar, just so you don’t break any teeth (or your knife!). You could also only bake it for 15 rather than the 20 minutes that I did. I also added plenty of ground ginger to the mix just so that it knocked your socks off with each bite.
The texture of this is really just excellent. Sure the base may or may not break your jaw but the ratio of smooth ginger icing as well as the varied topping makes this really quite delightful to sink your teeth into.
The horrifying amounts of butter and sugar in this mean you can realistically only eat a couple of pieces before you develop a raging headache, making it the perfect treat to keep hidden in your fridge for a good two weeks after making it.
Ginger Crunch (with extra ginger and extra crunch)
Makes 20x28cm slice
Adapted from the Bluebells Cakery Cookbook by Karla Goodwin
Base
1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup sliced almonds
¾ long thread coconut
150g butter
¾ cup sugar
4 (80g) tablespoons golden syrup
¼ cup finely crystallised ginger chunks, finely chopped
¾ cup plain flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
Topping
200g butter
6 tablespoons (150g) golden syrup
4 cups icing sugar, sieved
2 tablespoons ground ginger
More topping
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup crystallised ginger chunks, chopped
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees on bake. To make the base, toast the oats, almonds and coconut in a baking tray for five minutes until they start turning golden. Pour into a mixing bowl along with the sugar, ginger, crystallised ginger, flour and baking powder.
In a small saucepan, melt together the butter and golden syrup. Pour this into the dry mixture and stir until well combined. Press into a 20x28cm lined baking tin and bake for 15 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
To make the topping, melt the butter and golden syrup in a medium sized saucepan. Sieve in the icing sugar and ginger then stir until smooth. Keep the pan on the stove whilst stirring as the heat helps to melt the icing making it smooth. Pour this over the cooled base and smooth over with a spatula. Garnish the top with the sliced almonds and chopped crystallised ginger. Leave to set in the fridge before slicing up with the biggest knife you can find.
