Ginger Bars Recipe

There's no denying it now. Snow on the ground. Coats in the (pitch black, dark) mornings. The grounds crew at work stringing lights in the trees and putting together the giant, framed tree of holiday lights. It's chilly outside, even though it's November.

We even went out to the woods last week for a cookout. It's part of our Basic Wilderness Survival class that we took through the local school district, and our final class night was a trip to Affleck Park in East Canyon, near Mountain Dell Reservoir. There, we scrounged around for the right types of wood, even though most of the wood was a little wet for our use. We constructed the pieces needed for a bow-drill fire, made from our own hands: a flat dry piece called a fireboard. A tall, slender softer wood, about 4-8 inches long called the spindle. A stick about 2 feet long with a little bit of bend to it, which would be fashioned into the bow. And the last piece, a rock or a piece of wood that easily fits in the hand, with a little divot in the center that has been hollowed out, called a socket.

And then, with careful precision and some muscle, you pull the stringed bow back and forth, pulling the spindle with it, and creating friction against the fireboard. Eventually, a small coal is created near the fireboard. You pick up the coal so gently, using a leaf under it to cradle it. You drop it in a small bundle of juniper bark peeled and wound into a little nest. You inhale over your hard work, and exhale into it, hoping your breath will bring the coal to life.

It worked for me, for the first time this fall. My coal eventually created flames, and we quickly ducked it under the carefully stacked set up inside the fire ring. We crumbled to our knees and blew the same direction as the wind. We had fire.

We roasted hotdogs (what? good gf hotdogs? We love Nathan's), talked survival, and looked at the stars in the night sky. It was in the upper 30s (near freezing), but the awesomeness of building my own fire without using a match, lighter, or any other piece of metal (except my knife to carve a few strategic parts on the fireboard and spindle), had made it possible for us to be warm. We found north. We stood below Cassiopeia.

I'm excited for the winter ahead. For some root vegetables, some soup, and some cookies. I guess we ushered it in with sparks.

These ginger bars are warm and spicy, like the little gingerbread men in the coming season. Except they're soft, and with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, they are gently sweet, and are perfect with some hot chocolate. That I happened to steal from C. She's nice like that.

Last Year: Chicken Parmegiana
Two Years Ago: our favorite recipe (and probably most tested) Almond Poppyseed Muffins

Ginger Bars

adapted from this recipe

[Printer Friendly]

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup millet flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon salt

confectioners' sugar

In a large mixing bowl, stir together liquid coconut oil (must be above 77 degrees, but shouldn't be hot) and sugar. Add eggs; beat well. Beat in water and molasses. Combine the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, xanthan gum and salt; add to molasses mixture and mix well.

Spread into a greased 8 x 8 square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired. Cut into bars.