Ginger Goodies from The Ginger People

So, back in February, Valentine's Weekend to be exact, Jenn over at The Leftover Queen ran a giveaway dubbed the "Hearts of Fire" sponsored by The Ginger People and ... drumroll please ... I WON! The giveaway entailed submitting an idea for a Valentine's Day dessert incorporating the company's Ginger Sweeties. My entry was randomly drawn and a couple of weeks ago, I received this basket chockful of ginger goodies.


The sweet prize contained three large boxes of the company's Ginger Chews in three flavors (Spicy Apple, Hot Coffee and Peanut), three small boxes of Ginger Chews in the Original Ginger flavor, two boxes of Gin Gins hard candy and a jar of some heart-shaped Ginger Sweeties. So far, I've tried a couple of the Ginger Chews all of which have this surprisingly peppery burst of ginger that give these sweet treats a real bite.


The Marina, Calif.-based company is passionate about all things ginger and boasts state-of-the-art ginger factories in California and Australia. According to The Ginger People, the company is the world's only producer of closed-kettle artisan style crystallized ginger and it prides itself on being the most innovative, quality-oriented and environmentally conscious ginger producer in the world.

To show my appreciation to The Ginger People for sending me this lovely basket, I decided to bake something using none other than that pretty little jar of Ginger Sweeties. And what better place to get some inspiration for a ginger recipe than The Ginger People's very own web site? The site features a Cook's Corner with a collection of some sweet and savory recipes incorporating ginger and more specifically some of The Ginger People's products. I decided on some Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies using some chopped Ginger Sweeties and the result was a great variation on the traditional chocolate chip cookie.

Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies
(from http://www.gingerpeople.com/)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 Ginger Sweeties, finely chopped
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until well blended. Stir in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix until smooth. Stir in the chopped Ginger Sweeties and add the chocolate chips.

Heap teaspoonsfuls of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing each 2 inches apart. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until light brown. Remove from the oven and cool on cookie sheets for a couple of minutes. Transfer cookies to rack to cool completely.