Ginger Crunch

Whilst wondering how to use up the last of some ground ginger in my cupboard I remembered a treat which is sold in every bakery in New Zealand, and seemingly no-where else! It's a relic from the legendary Edmond's Cookbook and like all the classic Edmond's recipes it uses simple cupboard ingredients to make something utterly delicious. 

Edmond's Ginger Crunch

Makes 24 slices

For the dough:
125 g butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups standard plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger

For the icing:
75 g butter
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup (I didn't have this so I used 2 tablespoons of dark brown soft sugar instead and it worked fine)
3 teaspoons ground ginger (I didn't have this either! So I used 3 teaspoons of chopped fresh ginger. And it was amazing.)

1) Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift flour, baking powder and ginger together. Mix into creamed mixture. After mixing thoroughly my "dough" resembled breadcrumbs and would not stick together one bit. So I added 2 tablespoons of cold water, one at a time, until the mixture could hold together.

2) Press dough into a greased 20x30cm sponge roll tin. Bake at 190C (375F) for 20-25 minutes or until light brown.

3) When there are about 5 minutes of cooking time left, combine butter, icing sugar, golden syrup and ginger. Heat until butter is melted, stirring constantly. Pour hot ginger icing over base while hot and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Best enjoyed by eating slice after slice while watching HBO's Girls.