Ginger Shortbread

NEW ZEALAND

These simple cookies get an added kick from candied ginger

SUBMITTED BY

Katie

Ginger Shortbread is made of simple ingredients that create complex flavors. The recipe begins with a classic shortbread base, enriched with the warm heat of crystallized ginger.

Katie, from Aotearoa New Zealand, introduced me to her cherished family recipe. Her grandmother started to add crystallized ginger to her shortbread recipe because it was her grandfather’s favorite sweet. How adorable is that?

With just a handful of ingredients, flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar, and of course, the star ingredient – butter, you’re ready to make these cookies. The method is straightforward. Cream together butter and sugar, gradually add flour and cornstarch, toss in diced crystallized ginger, and mix until a dough forms. The dough gets divided into logs, chilled until firm, then sliced into little rounds before baking. Katie warns not to go too thin with the slicing though, or you’ll end up with burnt cookies.

The texture is unreal – delicate and crumbly, yet still with this satisfying denseness. You get lovely pockets of chewy ginger in every bite to cut through the richness. But the real star is that insane butter flavor. I made sure to use the imported New Zealand kind and oh man, Katie wasn’t kidding. The butter really did add to the texture and flavor of this treat. These cookies make for some of the most indulgent, ultra-savory-sweet shortbread I’ve ever had. If you’re a longtime shortbread fan, this ginger-spiked version is a must try.

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Ginger Shortbread

Ingredients
  

  • cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 500 g salted butter softened, grass fed recommended
  • 75 g crystalized ginger diced into cubes about 3mm square

Instructions
 

  • Briefly beat the butter then add the sugar. Cream well, then add the flour a half cup at a time, and finally the cornstarch, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the ginger and mix until just incorporated.
  • Cut two pieces of parchment paper to the length of a cookie tray you can easily fit in your fridge. Spoon half of the dough onto each piece and form into rough logs. The dough will be very soft and sticky, that’s normal. Roll the paper around the logs and try to form it into a more even shape. Place each paper-wrapped log on the cookie tray and put the tray in the fridge for a couple of hours or until firm.
  • Preheat the oven to 325℉. Unwrap the dough logs and slice into rounds with a sharp knife. The rounds should be about 3-4mm thick (don’t make them too thin or they will burn easily) but the important thing is to cut slices the same thickness so they will cook evenly.
  • Put the cookies on a cookie sheet which you have lined with parchment paper. Keep them a little spaced out, but they don’t spread much. Bake about 10 minutes, until light brown around the edges. The middles will still be quite pale.
  • Let them cool on the tray for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Course: Dessert
Region: Oceania

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