Ginger Brownies

A few weeks back Chris and I bought a dark chocolate candy bar with ginger in it and it sat around the house for a few weeks without us ever opening it. We even brought it to Michigan and back again thinking that we would eat it over the Christmas break. I noticed the candy bar after looking at several potential recipes tonight and dismissing all of them because of one missing ingredient or another. I remembered that Dorie had a recipe for ginger brownies and I figured that the ginger candy bar would be great chopped up in the recipe. I was also fairly confident that I had everything for them since I tend to keep a healthy amount of chocolate on hand for emergency baking.

I was right on both counts. :) These are very good, chewy, fudgy brownies (as all good brownies should be), with an interesting bite from the ginger. The chunky bits of candy bar weren't all that noticeable in the brownies when they were still warm and gooey from the oven, but they might solidify again after the brownies cool to room temp -- I figure no loss either way. I happen to love ginger and chocolate, but I was a bit skeptical about eating them together, however, Dorie didn't fail me. There have been a few misses in the Dorie book, but her brownie recipes have all been excellent.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp finely minced peeled fresh ginger
1 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter at room temp
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil and place the pan on a baking sheet.

Whisk the flour, salt and ground ginger together.

Put the minced fresh ginger and 1 1/2 tbsp of the sugar in a small bowl, stir and set aside. (If you do this a day ahead, cover the bowl with plastic wrap; if you do it several days ahead, cover and refrigerate.)

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, or melt them in a microwave oven; keep the heat low so the chocolates do not get very hot. Set aside to cool.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until it is smooth and creamy. Beat in the corn syrup, then the remaining 1 cup sugar, and continue to beat for another 2 minutes or so, until the butter is smooth again and the sugar incorporated. Add the vanilla. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each one goes in and scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat for 1 minute more, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add the macerated ginger (and any liquid), then the dry ingredients, mixing only until the flour disappears. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a rubber spatula, gently and thoroughly stir in the melted chocolate. Scrape the batter into the pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top forms an even sugar crust; a thin knife inserted into the center of the brownies should have streaks of moist, fudgy chocolate on it. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool to room temp.