Dark Chocolate Dipped Ginger

Now that the madness of finals is over I am finally able to take a deep breath and start to enjoy getting things ready for the holidays. 

This is a drastic improvement from the eye-twitch I'd developed whole trying to memorize at what exact moment a child learns to move from a static tripod grasp to a dynamic tripod grasp, and the sleepless nights while I worried about the group I was leading the next morning in a new setting...

One thing I learned from going back to school for Occupational Therapy is that if you can't really explain what you're going to school for a year into it, it's probably friggin' hard. 

But alas, I survived!  And now I can get to my Holiday baking with the fervor it deserves.

I for one could really care less about the general bru-ha ha of spending gobs of money on presents on the  people I care about to convince them they mean a lot to me. I do really like to give gifts, but I want them to be personal and meaningful, not an obligatory gift certificate to the gas station.

One of my favorite things to do is make up a bunch of treats and cookies to bring to and fro as I bounce around Holiday parties and functions.

It's also a pretty inexpensive way to tell people you like them enough to want to feed them the treats you slaved away all afternoon in a hot kitchen making..... (Or while dancing and drinking latte's and listening to punk rock as loud as you can without your neighbors hitting the floor with a mop handle)

This year I had an inkling to make some Dark Chocolate Dipped Ginger, something I saw in a candy store last winter for an INSANELY high price... I made a pretty big batch to divy up on my treat plates for under $10, so I thought I'd share.

Dark Chocolate Dipped Ginger

-1 pound of crystallized ginger (can be found in bulk in many  grocery stores) chopped into 1/2 inch chunks.

-12 ounces good quality dark chocolate ( I used Ghiradelli Bittersweet 60%)

-1 t. canola oil

-1 t. vanilla

Directions:  Cover a sheet pan with wax paper and set aside. Boil water in a saucepan for double boil. Place a stainless steel pan on top and add chocolate and oil. Once incorporated, remove from heat and add vanilla. Using a slotted spoon, dip several pieces of ginger in chocolate, letting chocolate drain before placing on wax paper. Lay ginger pieces separated on wax paper to dry at room temperature, then keep chilled until serving.

 Dang, that was easy!  

I double dipped mine to get a nice layer of chocolate.Just wait until the first layer hardens and dip again.These last over a month, and you can make bigger pieces if you like.I make them small because when you're at a potluck or party, you usually wanna try everything, and a small piece to see if you like it saves you from having to hide things in your napkin to throw away...

Spicy and sweet  ginger surrounded by delicious dark chocolate. Merry Christmas to me!

 Ginger is good for your stomach too, so if you've had a little too much Holiday cheer at the company party, it can soothe your belly too!

A friend of mine made this last year and got kind of annoyed because her's didn't look quite as uniform as mine, but it takes practice. I've been doing this 40+ hours a week for almost a decade, mine weren't perfect for a long time either!