14 March 2015

Weekend Cooking: Ginger Shortbread

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Bar Cookies A to Z by Marie SimmonsI already reviewed Marie Simmons's Bar Cookies A to Z, and here I am still using this treasure of a cookbook.

I had a very busy week at work and so decided I needed to relax with a little simple baking. I started flipping through the cookbook and didn't get past G. Crystallized ginger, simple shortbread. Yes, this was the perfect bar cookie for me.

The photo is a scan from the book (and all rights remain with the original copyright holder: Susan Marie Anderson).

Ginger Shortbread
24 bars

  • 2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and slightly softened
  • ½ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly butter a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, ground ginger, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and cut in with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture makes fine crumbs. Add the crystallized ginger and stir with a fork to blend evenly.

With lightly floured fingertips, press the mixture into the prepared baking pan in an even layer over the bottom. Bake on the center rack for about 20 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into bars.

23 comments:

  1. Obviously I need to try these; all day long I eat ginger chews, and my current favorite cookies are ginger, although I usually go for soft-baked.

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  2. Probably my favorite cookie ever is the gingerbread that I make at Christmastime. It's something I did with my Mother growing up and is a nice memory. Plus, I'd just want to sit and eat them all. I do like shortbread cookie though. These might be a nice melding of the two.

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  3. These sound amazing! I wouldn't mind eating one of these right now.

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  4. I've seen this book before and thought about getting a copy. I've never had a Ginger Shortbread. It sounds good!

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  5. Gotta try this! I'm a huge ginger lover.

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  6. Bar cookies are so quick and easy! I'd love one of these with a cup of coffee right now.

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  7. Ginger shortbread sounds really good, and so does this cookbook. Boy, do I miss baking with regular old all-purpose flour! Enjoy your treats! You deserve them!

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  8. These sound great! I went through a phase of making very soft ginger cookies in college. You've reminded me how delicious they were and how I should make a batch ASAP. :)

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  9. These sound amazing! I love ginger cookies and bar cookies are such a quick treat. I'll have to look for this cookbook!

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  10. I love ginger and I love shortbread so this sounds perfect to me.

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  11. Of course you post this the day before my sugar detox. :P I do love a good cookie bar!!

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  12. I somehow never developed a taste for ginger. I don't mind a hint of it in my Chinese food, for instance, but when it's the main flavor, as here, I don't like it. Sigh. (I have a lot of these weird flavor dislikes that I wish I could get over—mustard, cilantro, Scotch....)

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  13. I am normally a terrible cookie baker -- like epically terrible. But I might be willing to give ginger shortbread a go. I love anything with ginger in it.

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  14. Never heard of theses before but they sound like something I want to try. Yummy!

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  15. Yum -- love ginger cookies but never made ginger shortbread. Will have to try this, and look for that cookbook. :)

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  16. Ginger shortbread sounds delicious! I love mixing sweet and savory...

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  17. These ginger bars sound great. I have the A-Z Pancake book which I really like. I should look for the bar cookie one.

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  18. I love ginger crisps and ginger chews - this recipe definitely looks good to me!

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  19. your recipe sounds yummy

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  20. I do love spice cookies, but I don't know that I've ever made a bar cookie. I'll have to try this!

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  21. I have arrived at liking ginger a bit later than most others, but now that I am here, I do really enjoy it. The shortbread sounds wonderful. I think I need to look for that book, bar cookies are a busy cook's dream!

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