Make your own homemade candied ginger, also known as crystallized ginger! The flavor is WAY better than store-bought, much fresher and more vibrant. It will bring your baked goods to life, plus they’re fabulous just to snack on! PLUS there’s the additional bonus of an amazing ginger simple syrup you’ll get at the end of the cooking process that is phenomenal in drinks! Have you ever come across a recipe calling for candied ginger but passed because you didn’t have any, couldn’t find any in the store, or just didn’t want to bother trying to find it? Or have you thought about making it yourself but weren’t sure how or figured it would be too much work? Well this is for you! If you like candied ginger just wait until you’ve tried homemade. The flavor is worlds better – so much fresher with a stronger, more vibrant flavor. And if you don’t care for candied ginger, you’ll be converted once you’ve tried it in a few recipes. It adds such a great to a variety of baked goods. Because it’s so fresh, and you know the source, you can also reap the health benefits of ginger, something that’s been used medicinally for centuries. And while you obviously want to eat candied ginger in moderation because of its sugar content, if you’re going to indulge your sweet tooth this is a much better alternative than straight up candy, right?
How to Use Crystallized Ginger
Candied ginger (aka crystallized ginger) is not only a yummy snack on its own, it’s a versatile ingredient that will liven up so many dishes. Here are just a few ways that you can use your homemade crystallized ginger:
Added to banana bread, and Lemon Zucchini Bread Baked into cakes, cupcakes and muffins (see my Preserved Lemon Ginger Pound Cake) Added to Scottish Shortbread, ginger snaps, sugar cookies, Whole Grain Molasses Cookies, and Cornish Fairings Added to pear and apple crisps (see my Pineapple Mango Coconut Crumble with Candied Ginger) Baked into waffles and pancakes (see my Whole Wheat Sourdough Waffles) Stirred into Healthy Homemade Granola Stirred into Homemade Greek Yogurt Sprinkled over ice cream
Candied Ginger Recipe
Let’s get started! Generally you want to use young, small ginger roots because they’re less woody/more tender. But medium-sized will work just fine as well. I recommend organic if possible. Peel the ginger and slice it thinly and evenly. You can either do it by hand or use a mandolin. I highly recommend the Swissmar Borner Mandolin. If you slice it paper thin the result will be crunchy crystallized ginger, but you also don’t want it too thick. 1/8 is thick is about right. You’ll need about 1 pound of sliced ginger. Place the sliced ginger in a medium-sized pot and cover with water and just a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the ginger water and then drain the sliced ginger (you can also keep the ginger water for tea or a tonic). Place the reserved ginger water and sugar in the pot. Add the sliced ginger, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for about 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture will become somewhat thickened as the sugar turns to a syrup. Simmer until a candy thermometer or instant read thermometer reads 225 degrees F. You don’t have to use a candy thermometer but it sure makes it a lot easier than guesswork. Once the ginger mixture has reached 225 F drain the ginger immediately while hot. Use a colander over a bowl so you can collect the drained syrup. Don’t discard that syrup. This recipe produces a delicious by product: GINGER SIMPLE SYRUP! Add a teaspoon or two to your drinks for a refreshing ZING! Lay the ginger slices out on a large cooling rack over a cookie sheet, separating the individual slices the best you can (this is the more tedious part of the process). Let the ginger sit for 2 hours so they’re sticky but not wet (you want the sugar to be able to adhere without dissolving). Toss the pieces in a bowl of sugar to coat all sides. Lay the crystallized ginger back on the cooling rack to sit overnight to dry. Note: If you’re in a place with high humidity you can also dry these in a food dehydrator or in the oven on the very lowest temperature setting (you may need to keep the oven door cracked open). Store the crystallized ginger in an airtight container in a dark, cool place. Because it’s cooked and sugar and then coated with sugar, it will keep for several months. This makes roughly 2 cups of homemade candied ginger. Enjoy! Be sure to also try my Homemade Candied Orange Peel (or lemon, grapefruit and lime)! Originally published on The Daring Gourmet June 5, 2015 Read more about me…
