Ginger shortbread biscuits, or cookies depending on where you’re from. However you call them, they’re delicious, funny how butter will do that. The best part is that they can be made from start to finish in under an hour! Perfect for last-minute guests or when your wife is working late and wants something sweet but everywhere is closed and the insomnia cookies delivery fee is insane. Anyway, on to the recipe, it’s a short one.
Ginger Shortbread Notes
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Start by creaming the butter in your stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Once the butter is light and fluffy, add the powdered and regular sugar and mix on low speed until combined and then mix on high until light and fluffy. Separate the egg, add the yolk to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Save the egg white for later. Next add the flour, baking powder and ground ginger and mix until combined. Finally, using a wooden add the minced ginger and mix by hand until combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Turn the dough out onto a piece of cling film and press it into a semi-flat disk. Wrap the dough and place it in the fridge to chill for ten to fifteen minutes. This helps to firm up the dough and make it easier to roll out and cut into pieces. Similar to brown butter toffee cookies and Linzer cookies, having chilled dough makes everything easier.
Once the dough has chilled, roll out to a thickness of roughly a quarter of an inch. Dust your cookie cutter with flour and cut out rounds of dough. Re-roll the trimmings and cut out more rounds until all dough is used.
Cookie Baking Instructions
Arrange the biscuits/cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for ten minutes until a pale golden brown. Remove the biscuits from the oven and brush them with the egg white. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar on top of the biscuits. Sprinkle the sugar right after brushing with the egg white to make sure the sugar sticks to the biscuits. Place the biscuits back in the oven for another 3 or so minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let biscuits cool in the tray for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The biscuits can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Ginger Shortbread Biscuits
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (optional but recommended)
- 2-¼" round cookie cutter
- Baking sheet
- Rolling pin (wine bottle works in a pinch)
Ingredients
- 125 grams Unsalted Butter, softened (1 stick + 1 tbsp)
- 45 grams granulated sugar (3 tbsp + 2 tsp)
- 30 grams powdered sugar (1/4 cup)
- 1 Large Egg
- 200 grams AP flour (1-⅔ cups)
- pinch Baking powder
- pinch Salt
- 2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 50 grams Minced Ginger
- turbinado sugar (for sprinkling on top of cookies)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside until ready to use
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Slowly add in the sugar and powdered sugar and beat for a few minutes until mixture is light and fluffy.
- Separate the egg, reserve the white and add the yolk to the butter mixture. Beat the mixture for another minute.
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder and ground ginger and mix until just combined. Add the minced ginger and mix until just incorporated.
- Cover the dough with a piece of cling film and pat into a rectangle. Place in the fridge to chill for ten minutes or so.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, or between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of ¼"
- Use the round cookie cutter to cut out rounds from the dough. Re roll trimmings as needed until no dough is left.
- Place biscuits slightly apart on lined baking sheet and bake for ten minutes or until cookies are firm and a pale golden color.
- Remove cookies from the oven and brush with the egg white and sprinkle the turbinado sugar on top.
- Place the biscuits back in the oven and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until the biscuits are a golden brown color.
- Let the biscuits cool on the pan for a minute and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature
Yum!!