Candied Ginger Will Elevate Your Next Batch Of Brownies

Ginger is the surefire way to spice up a classic cup of hot chocolate, but that's not the only sweet way this root should be used. It also has a place in your next batch of ultimate fudgy brownies — not the ground variety of ginger you use to make gingerbread cookie bars, but the candied form. This sweet, chewy version will unexpectedly elevate your beloved chocolaty dessert. 

Simple candied ginger, sometimes known as crystallized ginger, is made by peeling and slicing ginger root and cooking it in a sugary syrup until it is soft. It is then dried and sprinkled with sugar. It's spicy and sugary with a texture that teeters between a gummy and a dried fruit. Buy it or make it yourself, candied ginger can be chopped up and added to your brownie mix before baking to add a little chew to the consistency and a sweet heat that complements the chocolate with every bite. 

What type of chocolate should you use in your brownies? Crystallized ginger tastes delicious with white, dark, or milk chocolate; you can experiment with ginger in almost any type of brownie recipe. The candied ginger's combination of spicy and sweet will balance the bite of dark chocolate, while mild and creamy milk and white chocolate tend to allow the characteristics of ginger to take center stage.  

Of course, you don't have to add the candied ginger to your brownie batter to enjoy it; you could also make a lovely candied ginger glaze with powdered sugar, butter, milk, and crystallized ginger. Drizzle it over your baked brownies for a spicy kick that is tempered by the sweetness of the other ingredients. If candied ginger is chewier than you prefer, try stem ginger. Preserved in syrup, it's soft, sticky, and delightfully delicious in baked goods that range from cupcakes to breads.