Gingerbread Croutons

'Tis the season for all things festive, merry and bright. I'm kicking off the end-of-year party with a classic Nik Snacks recipe I've never shared before today.

That's right. Gingerbread Croutons. When I became a private chef almost 9 years ago, I developed my own menu featuring signature items that I thought would be unique to my brand and intriguing to my clients. The very first category on the list: salads. My signature salad is mixed greens with tri-colored bell peppers, toasted pumpkin seeds, tomato vinaigrette... And gingerbread croutons.

During the Christmas season I always make gingerbread, just like my grandma used to make. That was my inspiration for the croutons. I've seen recipes where leftover pieces of cake are used, Stovetop stuffing and even fresh cornbread (a favorite of mine), but I like using rye or pumpernickel to keep it savory and adding ginger to the butter/oil mixture to give the bread a little oomph.

Gingerbread Croutons
Yield: 6 to 8 cups

1 loaf of 10-day old bread
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of pie spices
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice the bread in 3/4-inch dice.

Place the croutons on a sheet pan and toss them with the olive oil, butter, ginger, spices, salt, and pepper. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, tossing once, until they're nicely browned on all sides. Cool to room temperature.