Sticky Ginger Squares

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup diced crystallized ginger
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (if you use salted butter, reduce the salt to 1/8 tsp)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup diced crystallized ginger

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350°f lightly grease (or line with parchment) a 9" x 13" pan.
• 2 to make the squares: in a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, allspice, salt, baking soda, and crystallized ginger.
• 3 in a separate bowl, stir together the molasses, eggs, brown sugar and butter.
• 4 combine the wet and dry ingredients, beating till smooth.
• 5 spread the batter in the prepared pan, and set it aside.
• 6 to make the streusel topping: using a pastry blender, electric mixer, or your fingers, mix together the flour, butter, salt, and brown sugar till it's fairly well-blended; some chunks of butter can remain. mix in the crystallized ginger.
• 7 bake the squares for 15 minutes. sprinkle on the streusel, and bake an additional 30 minutes, till the streusel is a deep, golden brown.
• 8 remove the squares from the oven, and run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen them.
• 9 allow them to cool, then cut into 2 1/4" squares.