Here’s another edition of ” Fun Delicious Christmas Things to Make”. This candied ginger is so good, so throat-warming, so spicy, yet so sweet, your taste buds will be pleasantly confused. These little candies make perfect office gifts or stocking stuffers. If you’re  not a fan of coconut, just avoid it and use powdered sugar instead. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

250 g fresh ginger root

1.5 c white sugar

3 c water, twice

1/2 c fine dessicated coconut

Directions:

Set up a cooling rack over a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

1. Peel the ginger with a spoon. Peeling ginger with  a spoon retains most of the nutrients as they are located right under the skin. Not that we’re worried about nutrients making candied ginger.

2. Slice the ginger as thinly as you can. You may even want to use a mandolin (I don’t have one, so I just sliced the ginger with a knife.)

3. Transfer all your sliced ginger to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Drain.

4. Cover the ginger with water again but this time add the sugar. Bring to a boil. Now simmer the ginger until syrup has formed and reduced by half. This may take anywhere from 45 minutes to one hour. It doesn’t need to be watched constantly but needs a stir occasionally. So go off to make cookies, or watch your favourite show (Homeland), or anything else that keeps you busy.

5. Once the syrup has reduced, drain the ginger from the syrup and lay it our on a cooling rack that has been set up. Be careful not to burn your fingers as the sugar syrup is very hot. I used chopsticks to move the ginger from the colander to the cooling rack.  Cool until ginger is room temperature.

6. Place the coconut into a glass jar that has a lid. Transfer the ginger into the jar. Shake and tumble the jar gently to cover the ginger pieces with coconut.

This dessert can be enjoyed like candy, or chopped up and mixed into baked goods. This makes a great holiday gift. Just get some little glass jars and give it away at your office or the next Secret Santa. This ginger will last for a few months in a tight jar; just keep it a dark cool place. Don’t toss the syrup away. I dilute it with water and drink it.

Ginger is great for the throat and nose, and we could all use a little bit of spicy feeling in our air passages in the winter. Ginger also aids digestion, so eat up this deliciously sweet and spicy dessert!

Keep coming back for more vegan holiday recipes. I am having a vegan Christmas dinner, so there will be a storm happening in the kitchen. Stick around!

Love and light,

M