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This Sweet and Spicy Candied Ginger recipe is sweet and spicy and so flavorful! It is such a unique treat that only uses 3 ingredients and a little bit of time! If you can boil water, you can make this delicious and healthy candy!
What are the health benefits of Ginger?
Candied Ginger is one of those rare treats that is actually good for you! For centuries ginger was used to relieve nausea, constipation, bloating, cramps and also for it’s antimicrobial properties which help in curing the common cold. Now, science is backing this up with studies that are proving its ability to reduce the symptoms of diabetes, arthritis and heart disease and even possibly protect against some forms of cancer. This is all in its pure form, of course, but we won’t talk about that. Candied ginger is sweet and delicious and as candies go, it’s relatively good for you! So, let’s just say that candied ginger is a natural candy and fairly guilt free goodie!
Ingredients
- Fresh Whole Ginger Root
- Sugar
- Water
Ways to use Candied Ginger
My Dad loves just popping a piece in his mouth every time he passes the candied ginger jar, and my Mom loves putting it in everything from her ginger cookies, to bran muffins, to smoothies.
I love chopping some up and using it to top this Dutch Baby with Cranberry Compote, or sprinkling the Ginger dust on this Orange Cardamom Cake. It is so versatile and I think you will love it and will be surprised by all the ways you find to use it!
Although it is a delicious addition to many different dishes and desserts, it is also as an elegant cocktail garnish. Check out the the festive garnish on this, “Yule Mule”.
And…if you love Ginger, check out this recipe for Sticky Ginger Pomegranate Chicken! Yum!
A few notes about making Candied Ginger…
Just a couple of notes about this recipe. When you boil the ginger, pay attention to the time listed in the recipe, but also use your own judgement. Ginger comes in different- fibrous-nesses? fibrousities?- well whatever, they are just all different. So just make sure you boil it until it is tender. The same goes for the sugar crystallizing part. There may be more water released, so it may take a bit longer to completely dissolve, but have patience! It will happen, and the sugar will dry out and coat the ginger in a lovely and delicious way. If you would like, reserve an extra cup of the ginger water and use it to make this Easiest Ever Ginger Simple Syrup!
Once you let this spicy sweet candied ginger cool completely, you can store it in a glass or plastic container with a lid. I love using in ginger cookies, as a garnish on a Moscow Mule, or you can even dip it in chocolate for a real sweet treat! Also! Make sure you save the sugar that doesn’t stick to the ginger. This amazing ginger infused sugar can be used in tea, sprinkled on this Glazed Orange Cardamom Cake, or to roll these Spicy Rum Ginger Cookies in before you bake them. The list goes on!
The Kitchen Tools that Help…
The toughest part about this recipe is peeling the ginger. It isn’t difficult, just a little bit time consuming. I use a combination of peeler (I have a Kuhn Rikon peeler that I absolutely recommend!) and a spoon. The peeler can get the larger, smooth surfaces and the spoon can get in those gnarly nooks are crannies that ginger tends to have. Between these two tools, you’ll have it peeled in no time.
Another tool that I use that saves a lot of time is a mandoline. This is basically a VERY sharp tool that is used to make quick and thin slices. It is fairly inexpensive and is one of my definite must-have-in-the-kitchen tools. You can use it for SO MANY things. I can’t even imagine how much time I have saved over the years with this thing. I definitely recommend investing in one. In this recipe, you will want to set the blade to a thin, 1/8″ setting. If you don’t have a mandoline, you can certainly use a knife to accomplish the same, thin slices.
I hope you enjoy making this recipe! I would love from you in the comments below. How did you use it? Thank you and thank you for visiting Mollie in Montana~*
Spicy Sweet Candied Ginger
Ingredients
- 1 lb Fresh Whole Ginger Root
- 5 Cups Water
- 2 1/2 Cups Sugar
Instructions
- Peel the ginger with a spoon or peeler
- Use a mandolin or sharp knife to slice the ginger into 1/8" pieces
- Place sliced ginger and 5 cups water in a saucepan and cover and bring to a boil on medium high heat.
- Once it boils, keep it covered, turn heat down and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. It may take a little longer depending on the ginger.
- Once Ginger is tender, (can be punctured easily with a fork), drain and set aside 1/4 cup water.
- Place Ginger back into saucepan with 2 1/2 cups of sugar and the reserved 1/4 cup of water.
- Cook uncovered on medium heat, stirring often, until the water has completely evaporated and sugar is dry and coating ginger. This may take 20+ minutes or so, but it will happen!
- Transfer Ginger to cooling rack set on a baking sheet. Let it cool completely and then store in a glass or plastic container with a lid. Save the extra sugar separately for tea, cookies, etc.!
- Enjoy!
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