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Gingerbread Bars
Makes 486 tablespoons unsalted butter,
softened
¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons fi rmly
packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose fl our
1¼ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves
¼ cup whole milk
¼ cup sour cream
White Chocolate Mousse
(recipe follows)
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a
13x9-inch baking pan with baking
spray with fl our. Line pan with parch-
ment paper, letting excess extend over
sides of pan.
- In a large bowl, beat together but-
ter and brown sugar with a mixer
at medium speed until fl uff y, 2 to 3
minutes, stopping to scrape sides
of bowl. Add egg, beating well. Add
molasses and vanilla extract, beating
until incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together
fl our, ginger, salt, baking powder,
cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and
cloves. With mixer at low speed,
gradually add fl our mixture to butter
mixture alternately with milk, beginning
and ending with fl our mixture, beating
just until combined after each addition.
Add sour cream, beating until com-
bined. Using an off set spatula, spread
batter into prepared pan.- Bake until a wooden pick inserted
in center comes out clean, approxi-
mately 25 minutes. Let cool com-
pletely in pan on a wire rack. - Top with White Chocolate Mousse,
and refrigerate for 5 minutes. Using
an off set spatula, create soft diago-
nal lines on chilled mousse. (Mousse
should be slightly set and hold a shape
when doing this. If shape doesn’t
form, refrigerate for another 5 min-
utes.) Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. - Run a sharp knife along edges of
pan. Using excess parchment as
handles, lift gingerbread from pan,
and cut into 48 (1½-inch) bars. Store
in a single layer in an airtight con-
tainer, and refrigerate until needed,
up to 2 days.
White Chocolate Mousse
Makes approximately 1½ cups1 cup white chocolate morsels
1 cup heavy cream, divided
1⁄8 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice- Place white chocolate in a large
heatproof bowl. - In a small saucepan, heat ½ cup
cream over medium heat, stirring
frequently, just until bubbles form
around edges of pan. (Do not boil.)
Remove from heat. Pour hot cream
over white chocolate; whisk until
chocolate melts and is smooth. - In a large bowl, beat together
confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice,
vanilla bean paste, and remaining
½ cup cream with a mixer at medium-
high speed until soft peaks form. Fold
whipped cream into white chocolate
mixture. Use immediately.
“When a snowflake falls,
a snowman somewhere
is blowing you a kiss.”
—AUTHOR UNKNOWN