blueberry ginger toffee bars

Did you think I was finished with blueberry recipes? Hoho, how wrong you were. There is a strong likelihood that I will never be finished with blueberry recipes.

These Blueberry Ginger Toffee Bars consist of a ginger- and cinnamon-flaved bar cookie base, a hearty layer of fresh blueberries, and a topping of golden brown toffee, infused with a hint of ginger.

They combine everything I love (blueberries, caramelly toffee) with a few things that I feel iffy about (ginger, the word ‘bars’). A stellar combination, really.

Previously frozen juicy blueberries are flash cooked by the toffee, which is poured hot off the stovetop. After cooling, the toffee hardens somewhat – cracking in places – but remains softly chewy and easy to eat. The blueberries retain their plump freshness, while permeating sweetly into the surrounding toffee and bar cookie layers.

Ginger and blueberry are a perfect pairing. I was inspired by the blueberry ginger kombucha I’ve been making recently, which sadly may have come to a temporary end as I believe I once again killed my scobys (scobies?). In my defense, I’ve been busy.

Busy.

In the past week, I have inspected a boatload of potatoes, watched an entire season of Gossip Girl, built a light box for my photographic endeavors, and shed a tear over my garden’s slow frosty death. Also, I explored an abandoned plane. I’ll talk more about that soon.

I have one remaining week as a Potato Inspector, and I plan to enjoy it to the fullest. Being outside every day has inspired me to document my sights more thoroughly in pictures. Here are a few of the shots I’ve captured within the past week.

From top: A harvested potato field littered with forgotten tubers, a dew-filled dandelion on a chilly morning, foggy tractor days, a potentially-abandoned building as seen through my sunglasses, and The Amish.

The best part of this potato job has been getting to drive on unfrequented back roads and catch glimpses of the many nearby Amish settlements. Like this corn-filled wagon that pulled out in front of me kind of crazy-like.

I have become Amish obsessed. I want to talk with them. I want to befriend them. I want to be them. …for maybe a week. I am completely serious about this. I talk about them almost every day now.

An Amish person waved at me the other week. As I was driving my sinfully-modern vee-hic-kel, I might add.

Blueberry Ginger Toffee Bars
{Recipe by myself, toffee adapted from Joy of Cooking}

For the bar cookie layer:

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 c. flour

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, cream butter with sugars, ginger and cinnamon. Add eggs and almond extract, and mix well. Add salt, baking soda, and flour, and mix until combined.

Grease an 8 x 8″ pan to create tall bar cookies as seen here. Alternately, use a somewhat larger pan, such as 8 x 10″. Pat mixture into pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through in the center and lightly golden around the edges. Remove from oven, and set on a cooling rack.

For the blueberry-toffee layer:

1 2/3 c. granulated sugar
2 large pinches cream of tartar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 c. heavy cream
1 stick (1/2 c.) butter
2 c. frozen blueberries

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cream of tartar, ginger and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, and cook, whisking frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add in butter, and cook, whisking often, until mixture reaches the soft-crack stage on a candy thermometer (note: toffee is typically cooked to the hard-crack stage. Removing the mixture from the heat sooner allows the final product to be more chewy, and easier to enjoy in this bar cookie fashion). Remove from heat.

Pour blueberries over cooled tin of bar cookies. Immediately pour toffee on top, allowing it to thoroughly coat the blueberries. Cool (in the fridge if the desired). Cut into squares before toffee is fully hardened to prevent surface from cracking.

Keep well-wrapped in the fridge for up to 3 days.