As the weather starts to shift solidly in the direction of cooler days, I find myself drawn to foods. . .
. . . with a little spice and richness. . .
. . . like these lovely ginger shortbread cookies that combine. . .
. . . two different kinds of ginger, dark chocolate and. . .
. . . huge salt crystals with buttery beautiful shortbread texture. The results?. . .
. . . perhaps the best cookie I've had in quite a while. Perfect for kids and adults alike, the flavors are complex and inviting, but not too spicy or salty to put off any little eaters that have a particular palate. Bake them today. You won't be sorry.
Ginger Shortbread with Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt
Recipe adapted from here
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted cold butter cubed
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Large flake sea salt for sprinkling (Maldon or similar)
Mix the flour, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the candied and grated ginger together. Mix it with a fork to make sure the ginger gets evenly distributed through the flour and sugar.
Add the cold butter and work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers until it resembles a very coarse meal (see image above).
Turn the meal out onto a piece of parchment paper and use the paper to help you form it into a ball of dough. Divide the dough and wrap each piece in parchment before chilling it in the refrigerator for 20-30 min. If you're short on time you could put it in the freezer for 15-20 min.
While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 300.
Roll out the chilled dough into 1/4" thickness and cut out your cookies. The size and shape is up to you, but I would stick with rectangles as it uses all of the dough without having to roll it again which can make the cookies tough.
Bake your cookies on a parchment lined sheet for 25-30 min or until they are golden brown. If your oven runs a little hot check them at 20 min.
Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water. Using a rubber spatula "frost" half of the cookie face with chocolate going from corner to corner at a diagonal (see image above).
Before the chocolate cools, sprinkle a few crystals of salt onto each cookie. Store in an airtight container, and do your best not to eat them all at once :)
Happy Baking!
~Sarah
*Last time in Recipes: Roasted Pumpkin Soup
