Home Candy Candied Ginger

Candied Ginger

by Ann
17 comments

Candied Ginger

I don’t know why exactly, but the other day I was suddenly struck with this incredibly insistent urge to make candied ginger. I immediately googled it and found a recipe and was pleased to see that she said it was EASY! Yes! Awesome!

A day or two later I made it to the store to purchase some ginger root. The knobby roots sat on the island in my kitchen staring at me … waiting for me to have time to turn them into chewy sweet hot candy. They were calling to me. I could barely stand it!


Ginger is one of those amazingly versatile seasonings. We generally put it in sweets like cookies and cakes and pies, but also in soups and curries and tea and all sorts of other savory dishes as well as sweet! I especially love how a bit of fresh ginger root can add a good spicy KICK to your food.

Not only is it tasty, ginger is also good for your health. It has a lot of strong antioxidants that can help in healing our bodies and maintaining health. It is good for soothing vomiting, nausea, chest congestion, headaches, and can even help as a anti inflammatory for people with arthritis, motion sickness, migraines and diarrhea. So how about that? This is a candy that is actually GOOD for you.

I have long loved ginger. I don’t know why I never thought to prepare it this way. Until now.

Finally, yesterday the time came to cook up my precious ginger.

Candied Ginger

This candied ginger is chewy and sweet with a bit of a kick! I think it would make a great holiday gift, especially for someone with health issues. I am not sure exactly why I suddenly HAD to make candied ginger, but when I have these strong feelings telling me to go DO something, I just do it. I will discover later the connection that pulled me to do this.

Candied Ginger

from Chrysanthemum by Bonibella who got it from Alton Brown

Ingredients:

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 pound fresh ginger root
  • 5 cups water
  • Approximately 1 pound (2 cups) granulated sugar

Directions:

  1. Spray a cooling rack with nonstick spray and set it over a pan for catching the stray sugar that falls from the ginger.
  2. Peel the ginger root and slice into 1/8-inch thick slices. I tried to use my slicer, but found this went easier with a good knife and a cutting board. Place the ginger into a 4-quart saucepan with the water and set over medium-high heat. Cover and cook for 35 minutes or until the ginger is tender.
  3. Transfer the ginger to a colander to drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Save that precious ginger juice!
  4. Return the ginger and 1/4 cup cooking water to the pan and add the sugar. They say to weigh the ginger and add an equal amount of sugar, but not having a scale, I just used 2 cups of sugar.
  5. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
  6. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar syrup looks dry, has almost evaporated and begins to recrystallize. This takes about 20 minutes. I was kind of watching the clock at this point, and not really believing that this would happen because it still looked liquified to me at 20 minutes but then suddenly a minute or two later: poof! it was done. Just as she said. It went from liquid to solid so suddenly that if I hadn’t been paying attention, it would have burned!
  7. Transfer the ginger immediately to the cooling rack and using a spoon or tongs, spread it out on the rack to separate the VERY HOT ginger slices. Once the ginger is completely cool, transfer it to an airtight container. She says it will store for up to 2 weeks.
  8. Save the sugar that drops beneath the cooling rack and use to top ginger snaps, sprinkled over ice cream or to sweeten coffee or tea. The spicy gingery juice (that reserved cooking liquid!) is great for use in tea or soups.
Candied Ginger Root
This is part of my series of 31 Days of Warmer Connections. Every day in October, I am blogging about connections through food.

You may also like

17 comments

Terra October 17, 2011 - 5:39 pm

Love that you made your own! It looks amazing:-) Such a gorgeous treat to add in so many delicious dishes:-) Hugs, Terra

Reply
The Mom Chef October 17, 2011 - 6:46 pm

I adore, love and crave ginger at all times. My most favorite breakfast food is double ginger scones, made from my home made candied ginger, the recipe for which I also got from Alton Brown (the man rules).

Now that I see yours, it makes me crave more. Time to go get some knobby root. 🙂

Reply
Ann October 17, 2011 - 10:01 pm

Okay I seriously need your recipe for double ginger scones now!

Reply
Lisa @ Lisa's Dinnertime Dish October 17, 2011 - 9:06 pm

This sounds good! I really think your blog is terrific, so I would like to pass this on to you.
http://lisasdinnertimedish.blogspot.com/2011/10/versatile-blogger-award-im-lucky.html

Reply
Jennifer @ Mother Thyme October 17, 2011 - 10:51 pm

Oh goodness I love this! I have not had candied ginger in so long, thinking about it brings back memories! I never thought of making it, until now! Thank you again for the inspiration! 🙂

Reply
JourneyKitchen October 18, 2011 - 4:31 am

How I love candied ginger!

Reply
Tamara October 18, 2011 - 7:58 am

I love candied ginger and am so happy to see this recipe. I’ve never even considered making it myself but am becoming more aware of what I eat and am now doing much more homemade than store bought. Thank you for sharing this!

Reply
Berry Bunny Love Chex Mix ♥ « Sumptuous Spoonfuls November 6, 2011 - 4:36 pm

[…] T. ginger sugar (This is from my candied ginger recipe … if you don’t have any ginger sugar, just use 1/4 t. ginger in its […]

Reply
Make your Own Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte « Sumptuous Spoonfuls November 11, 2011 - 8:47 am

[…] tsp. ginger sugar (this is the sugar that falls down off the ginger when you are making candied ginger–if you don’t have any ginger sugar, you can skip this. It just adds a little extra zip […]

Reply
Brandied Pumpkin Maple Spice Ice Cream « Sumptuous Spoonfuls November 15, 2011 - 1:21 pm

[…] pieces of candied ginger (I think I used 5 […]

Reply
Cranberry Nut Crunch Popcorn « Sumptuous Spoonfuls December 3, 2011 - 8:14 pm

[…] T. ginger sugar (This is from my candied ginger recipe … if you don’t have any ginger sugar, just use 1/4 t. ginger in its […]

Reply
Bonnibella December 15, 2011 - 5:21 am

Isn’t it cool how it suddenly turns into candied ginger while you are watching the stove? Thanks for the link back. Happy Holidays!

Reply
Broiled Grapefruit with Ginger Sugar « Sumptuous Spoonfuls March 29, 2012 - 7:33 am

[…] the ginger sugar and really it’s not that hard to do. The way to make ginger sugar is to make Candied Ginger … the ginger sugar is the sugar that falls off the pieces of candied ginger. It has a […]

Reply
Ginger Gelato | Linda's Italian Table June 18, 2012 - 5:32 pm

[…] with this brand. If you want an exceptional treat and would like to make your own candied ginger, Sumptuous Spoonfuls has a terrific recipe for this. As an added benefit, ginger has long been known to be a stomach […]

Reply
Blueberry Gooseberry Ginger Yogurt Cheesecake « Sumptuous Spoonfuls July 16, 2012 - 7:51 am

[…] 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped (if you want to make your own, here’s a recipe) […]

Reply
» Make your Own Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte Sumptuous Spoonfuls October 13, 2012 - 9:13 pm

[…] tsp. ginger sugar (this is the sugar that falls down off the ginger when you are making candied ginger–if you don’t have any ginger sugar, you can skip this. It just adds a little extra zip […]

Reply
» Ginger Spice Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies Sumptuous Spoonfuls February 19, 2015 - 11:15 pm

[…] first the plain version, and then with pepitas on top, then I added golden raisins and last, candied ginger. I had to taste one of each variation I tried, and while I enjoyed them all, the last was […]

Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More