Can these recipes be made ahead?

Yes, all of them can be made ahead of time! Store the peppermint patty brownies and the brown butter salted caramel slice in an airtight container in the fridge. Store the others in airtight containers at room temperature.

What is the best way to cut bars / slices?

A large, sharp knife is the best way to get super clean cuts on your bars. For some recipes like the ginger crunch it is helpful to heat the blade of the knife up first by running it under hot water and drying with a paper towel so that it is warm but dry. This helps cut through the topping neatly. I have a chef's knife with a 12" blade on it which is so helpful for this, but a good sharp regular sized chef's knife would work great too.

Can these recipes be shipped / would they travel well?

The Ginger crunch, Rice Krispies, Carmelitas and Birthday Cake Blondies would all ship super well. Just make sure they are securely packed in a ziploc bag and fill the box so they aren't banging around. The Peppermint Patty Brownies and the Salted Caramel Slice are best stored in the fridge because of the chocolate topping, so probably would get a little banged up in shipping.

What box did you use for the Holiday Bar Box?

I use this box, and then Rich made me some dividers on the laser cutter and I glued them in with a hot glue gun. You could either make your own dividers with craft wood and a craft knife, or you could just arrange all the bars in the box nicely too, or use things like cupcake liners to separate out the treats from one another.

How do I break up the workload to make these?

All of these can be made ahead super easily, so you can make them over the course of a day or two. Just make yourself a list and go for it, and check things off as you go. Alternatively you could divide and conquer with a family member or friend, and make a few recipes each, then split them up. The recipes can be easily doubled and made in a 9"x13" pan too if you wanted to make more. They all keep so well, that they are great to make ahead.

What is the best pan to use for making bars / brownies?

I have a couple of these USAPAN pans which I use all the time, and also love the gold touch line from Williams Sonoma.

Holiday Bar Box (Six Festive Recipes)

Description

Ginger crunch is a classic 'slice' or bar recipe from New Zealand. A chewy, gingery, oaty base is topped with a sweet, spicy ginger icing and left to cool before being sliced into bars. It is sweet but spicy, and makes the perfect treat!

Ingredients

Scale

Base

300g all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
300g brown sugar
135g rolled oats (old fashioned oats)
225g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge is fine
90g golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract.

Ginger Topping

135g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge is fine
125g golden syrup
2 Tbsp ground ginger (dial back to 1 1/2 Tbsp if you don't want a super intense ginger flavour)
325g icing sugar / powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Grease a 9" x 9" (23cm square) tin, and line with two pieces of parchment paper, so that there is paper sticking out of the tin on all sides, forming a 'sling'.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger. Add the brown sugar and rolled oats, and mix well to combine.
In a small pot, melt together the butter, golden syrup and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients, and mix well. Press the mixture into the tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden on the edges. Five minutes before the base is done, prepare the topping.
For the topping, add all of the ingredients to a medium pot in the order listed. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Pour over the hot base, and leave to set at room temperature until set. Slice into pieces with a hot knife.
Store in an airtight container. Can be kept in the fridge, but bring to room temperature before eating.

Keywords: ginger crunch, oats, old fashioned oats, new zealand, slice, bar, ginger slice